Beginning Again
by bassetfan
Summary: An AU of the third season. What if Lucas Wolenczak didn't return from Hyperion with the others? What if everybody believed that he was dead?
1. Chapter 1

_**Warning** : descriptions of torture and threatened self harm._

 _This story is an AU of the third season, beginning with 'Brave New World'. For the purposes of this story, James Brody died on Hyperion - too many characters to include and he dies in episode 6 anyway. Also, I've taken some liberties with the timeline, so for the purposes of this story, Lucas was 15 during the first tour and 18 in 2032._

 _M_ _any, many thanks to the people who have reviewed, favourited and followed my previous stories. I hope you all know how fabulous you are! Had a few issues with this one, and there are some parts that I'm not entirely happy with, but I've read it and re-read it so many times that I may just be over analysing it (you know how you find yourself changing a word or phrase four or five times and then just going back to what you had originally? Or is that just me?). Anyway, here goes..._

 **Beginning Again**

By the year 2032, Captain Oliver Hudson had spent a lot of years searching for the missing seaQuest. He knew his moment had finally arrived when the missing crewmembers started to reappear, albeit minus their recent memories.

Finally, in a cornfield in Iowa, the missing boat appeared.

Oliver Hudson had made his plans long ago and was ready to act. It took him only two days to put her back in the water and to gather the crew together again.

But not everyone had returned with the boat.

Several crewmembers did not come back with the rest, and from the senior staff Wendy Smith, Miguel Ortiz and James Brody were missing. Of the non-military personnel, Lucas Wolenczak never reappeared.

Captain Nathan Bridger was found but refused to return. He peered at them from the video link and gave them the only explanation they would get for a very long time.

"Your memories were erased, and you were returned to the last peaceful thought you had in your minds. Some of us didn't make it, and I lost someone very dear to me. Now that I've returned, I find I have a grandson, and that means my son must be out there somewhere. It's going to be my mission to find him and raise Michael. I will not be returning to seaQuest."

He closed the link and they were unable to re-establish it.

The old crew looked at each other. When they heard 'some of us didn't make it and I lost someone very dear to me', they knew that he must be referring to Lucas.

They left the bridge and made their way to the mess hall in silence. Jonathon Ford stopped by his room on they way there and pulled out a bottle of rum that he'd been saving for a special occasion. In the mess, he poured out a shot of rum for each of them and four extra glasses.

They raised their glasses. "To Wendy Smith, Miguel Ortiz, James Brody and Lucas Wolenczak." His voice broke a little. "It was an honor to serve with them."

They each drank their shot, and placed the upturned glass on the table besides the four untouched glasses before going their separate ways.

* * *

Tony Piccolo sat staring at the walls of his room. Even though the posters that covered them were his, it seemed as though every item in the room reminded him of Lucas. He heard a knock at the door, and opened it to find Lonnie Henderson holding a cardboard box.

"I thought you might want a hand tidying up in here," she said tactfully.

"Thanks." He looked a little lost as he stared around the room.

Tim O'Neill appeared behind her, holding a stack of boxes. "Looks like I wasn't the only one to think of this."

Tony sat on his bunk. "I've never done this before, not sure what to do."

Tim picked up a photo that had been taped to the side of a computer. It showed Captain Bridger with his arm around Lucas Wolenczak, laughing happily. He felt a lump in his throat.

"Pretty sure his parents won't be interested in most of this stuff. They weren't even interested in him, I don't think his photos and clothes will even appear on their radar."

"Have they been in touch?" Lonnie asked.

Tony found himself clutching one of his roommate's oversize shirts that had been lying on the bunk. "Do they even know we're back?"

"We were on the news." Tim sighed. "I don't know what's more disconcerting. Coming back and finding that everything in the world has changed and everyone else is ten years older, or coming back to the seaQuest and finding that nothing here has changed at all. It's like we left five minutes ago." He picked up one of Lucas' half empty soda cans, and Tony and Lonnie nodded.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He rolled the shirt up in his hands and held it close to himself like a cushion. "I spoke to my folks, they look so old now. My little cousin is married with kids. And then I come back here...and the only thing that's changed is that Lucas isn't coming back."

He was shocked to feel tears running down his cheeks, and he started to sob. Lonnie let go of her tears as well, and Tim put his head into his hands as his shoulders heaved. The three of them sat sharing their grief together.

Eventually, Tim stood up and started to take down Lucas' pictures and books. Lonnie dried her eyes and started to fold clothes while Tony took a box and started to gather computer parts and tools. When they'd finished, the room looked odd, familiar and strange at the same time.

It seemed as though that was something that they would have to get used to.


	2. Chapter 2

Captain Hudson was hardly a man to tiptoe around people's feelings, but he was trying hard to make allowances for the old crew. He knew they were having a hard time adjusting and he was trying not to ride them too hard, but it was costing him what little patience he had. How was it that nobody seemed to be able to get the computer system up and running in a satisfactory manner? It seemed that Lucas Wolenczak was the only one who knew how to operate it properly. Most of the systems seemed to be running at about seventy per cent efficiency.

He was also involved in the sensitive task of re-assigning rooms to accommodate the new crewmembers that were brought on to replace lost colleagues, and Hudson and sensitive did not go well together. He passed the task to Commander Ford.

* * *

Jonathon Ford went to visit Tony in his room. "Can I come in?"

"Sure."

He was just sitting on his bunk, staring at the computer in front of him.

"Doesn't get easier, does it?" Jon sat beside him.

"Nope. Keep thinking it will, but it hasn't so far."

"I afraid what I'm about to say isn't going to make you feel any better."

Tony buried his face in his hands. "Oh God, what now?"

"Hudson issued the new room assignments. You're going to be sharing with Dagwood."

At Tony's look, he added, "Hey, at least it's someone you know, that you're already friends with."

"I guess. It just feels wrong, y'know? His stuff is still all over the place." He gestured to the computers and a stack of boxes. "Did you track down his folks?"

"His father disappeared four years ago. His mother..." Ford pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "His mother said she's already mourned him, and she doesn't want any of his stuff."

"Sweet lady. No wonder he never mentioned her."

"Yeah. It's not like we didn't know he had crappy parents."

They sat silently for a moment.

"He was eighteen, Jon. Freakin' eighteen years old."

"I know."

"Never even had any fun in his life. All those brains, and what did it get him? Working full time on a military submarine from the age of fifteen to this." His voice cracked. "Dead before he could even legally drink, and no-one to even give a rat's ass about him 'cept us."

"I know. Don't worry, we'll find somewhere to put his stuff until we know what to do with it."

"Why? I figured you'd want to get rid of it. Efficiency and all that. Since no-one wants it."

"Stupid, isn't it? Just seems wrong to throw it away. Maybe one day Bridger will come back and decide he wants it. Or his father will re-appear." He gave Tony a weak grin. "It's possible, isn't it? Who knows that better than us?"

* * *

Things started to feel normal again, and they got to know the new captain and crewmembers and settle into the new routine.

Jonathon Ford and Lonnie Henderson started spending more time together and began to develop a romance.

Lieutenant J.J. Fredericks, or Freddy to her friends, turned out to have a good sense of humor and was well liked. She and Tony began a casual romantic arrangement with no emotional ties that suited them both.

Even Tim had started a relationship of sorts with a woman that he'd met on the Internex. It was early days and he didn't say much about her, but he enjoyed being able to talk to her. Since Lucas had gone, he felt he didn't have anyone that could share in the intellectual debates they used to enjoy.

The conflict with the Macronesians continued to worsen, and no matter what anyone else said, they all knew it was war.

* * *

In a different part of the world, an eighteen year old boy lined up for prison rations.

Approximately two hundred people were housed in the unofficial Macronesian prison camp, mainly UEO citizens suspected of being UEO spies. They were given the barest minimum to eat and drink, and the living conditions were filthy. There were no showers or wash areas, just a central pump where they were allowed to line up for water twice a day. Fleas and lice were prevalent. The toilet facilities were minimal, and with the conditions the way they were many people became ill. The camp smelled of human waste, sickness and death.

All of the prisoners were presumed missing or dead. Unless they had some kind of value to the party, they were left here to die; and rumor had it that if they did have some value to the party, things could be much, much worse.

Prisoner number 107 was determined that they would not find him to be of any value. He used a fake name and kept his head down and his mouth shut, and waited until his friends came looking for him. As he knew they would.

They must.

For three long months he waited. And waited. And waited.

The time came when he was approached by a fellow prisoner with a plan for their rescue. Prisoner 107 had the skills that were needed to execute it. In case of capture, each person involved knew of only two other people in the plot - the person who recruited them, and the person they recruited. The boy had been recruited by George, but had not recruited anyone himself. He was the last link of their plan.

Escape wouldn't work. There were too many of them to coordinate it, and they were mostly too sick to fight. Hell, many of them were too sick to stand. Disease had moved through the camp and was picking them off with brutal alacrity.

George was a trustee, and he now had access to the computer system. His prayers had been answered when he discovered the boy was a hacker. They would send out a message and hope it would be found.

The boy, known to everyone as Nate Bridges - a variation of the first name that came into his head when being questioned - knew that they needed to do something, and soon. He had lost too much weight and had developed a cough, a cough he had heard from others in the camp. He saw what it led to. They had to be rescued. Quickly.

* * *

On the night they decided to act, it started to rain. Not good for all of the sick people, but better for their plan. The guards would not be hanging around on a night like this.

They waited until the prisoners were locked away for the night. George freed himself with a duplicate key (made for him by his contact), and then released Nate.

They slipped through the rain to the computer building. George signaled to the boy to wait, and then handed him a set of coveralls that he had stashed behind a vent to prevent leaving dirt in the pristine computer area. They were both filthy. Nathan put them on - they were an even better idea now that he was so wet from the rain - and then he went inside to the computers that he knew so well.

He touched the computer almost lovingly for a moment, it had been so long since he had used one. He felt like a starving man staring at a steak dinner. Then he smiled wryly as he remembered that he was a starving man, and he would continue to be one until he got to work and got them all rescued.

He worked for a couple of hours, and then George knocked at the door. He nodded and closed down the computer.

"Did you do it?"

"Yeah. I deleted us from the security footage, it'll just look like a power outage. And I sent out an SOS with our co-ordinates. It's pretty heavily buried in a few different streams, they'll never find it unless they go looking for it. And if that happens, well...it means they already know what we've done."

He didn't tell him about the other thing he had done. He had arranged for the computer to transmit secured files every evening, hidden in a virus scan. If they couldn't be rescued, then at least the UEO would have vital information about the enemy and what they were doing.


	3. Chapter 3

"Incoming call from Secretary General McGath. Confidential, Sir."

"Put it through to the ward room, Mr. O'Neill."

Hudson moved to the ward room and switched on the Vidlink. McGath got straight to the point.

"Captain Hudson, we've received an encrypted message from an unknown source behind enemy lines."

"What is it?"

"It's an SOS. It has co-ordinates from a small island that's close to the border. The message reads 'SOS 200 POW's' and the map reference."

"Can we trust it?"

"I'm inclined to think so. The message was heavily encrypted and was hidden in a number of different data streams. The way it was delivered leads us to believe that it came from one of our own, certainly from someone very familiar with how we transmit and receive confidential information. We also received a selection of top secret Macronesian files, and I'm sure that it's information they would not want us to have."

"So what are we going to do?"

"We're sending you in with three other subs, two ships and a small aerial attack force. We want to be able to fight them from any angle."

"Won't they see the attack as an act of war?"

"If the information is correct, then the imprisonment of two hundred of our people is an act of war."

"And if the information isn't correct?"

"Then we'll have finally declared war, Captain Hudson."

"I see."

"There's one other thing. From the way this information was encrypted and sent, this came from someone who knows his way around complex computer systems. We need someone like that now more than ever, and we want him working for us. Once you've identified the agent, I want you to stick to him like glue. Whatever it costs you, bring him back to us, understood?"

"Understood. When do we leave?"

"I'll transmit the co-ordinates now. Make your way to that location and hold your position until you receive further orders."

"Yes Sir."

* * *

At Macronesian Intelligence, they started to receive reports of enemy vessels moving closer to the island prison that housed the prisoners. There was no time to move the camp, and the people there weren't valuable enough to risk executing. News of that would surely constitute a formal declaration of war.

It was decided that the best thing would be to simply withdraw and not waste valuable resources defending it. If the UEO got their people back, they would keep quiet about the way they did it. If the Macronesians held the prisoners illegally, then the UEO rescued them illegally. Stalemate.

There was, however, one thing that they needed to know. How had the information leaked out?

Like the UEO, they had their spies, and the news soon came to them about the encrypted message. They also wanted that person working for them. If that couldn't be the case, then they wanted to make sure that he or she wasn't working for the UEO.

It was going to be a battle to see who found the agent first.

* * *

There was something approaching chaos in the camp as half of the guards started dismantling the equipment and packing everything up. The remaining half moved through the camp trying to find the conspirators.

Mike had always been the weak link in the plan. His expertise had been needed to make copies of the keys, but they had never really trusted him. They had told him nothing of their scheme, but he had known who his contact was and that was enough to set them on the trail. They had people who where extremely skilled at making people talk, but they weren't even necessary in Mike's case. He quickly told them everything he knew and led them to George.

George held out for as long as he could, but while they worked on him they also started running back through the surveillance tapes. It didn't take them long to find out who he had spoken to on the day of the security breach. As many of the prisoners were known to Macronesian Intelligence, it didn't take them long to reach the conclusion that the only person capable of the breach was the boy, Nate Bridges.

When he was presented with the name and the promise of a quick death, George finally admitted to his part in the affair, and Nate was taken into custody.

As he was pulled away to a waiting launch, he saw UEO planes heading towards the camp and what he assumed were UEO boats in the distance. He knew that things were about to get much worse for him, but he couldn't help but be glad that he had at least helped to save the rest of the prisoners.

* * *

The UEO forces met no resistance from the camp. Tire tracks left evidence of a speedy departure, and they guessed that the Macronesians weren't about to go to war for this.

Conditions within the camp were shocking, and the surviving prisoners were taken to the UEO ships for medical attention, where they were immediately quarantined. Disease had become so widespread amongst the inmates that everyone who had contact with them was immediately inoculated and monitored.

Captain Hudson sent his crew to question everyone about the informant, but they seemed to have reached a dead end with George. His body had been found and the trail went cold. Everyone agreed the hacker had not been him - he had admitted many times to being computer illiterate. Then one woman remembered that he had recently spent a lot of time with another prisoner, a boy called Nate.

Hudson frowned. "A boy?"

"Well, I suppose he was a young man really, he was in his twenties. Told me once that he was almost thirty, but I found that hard to believe. I suppose that's what happens when you get older, everyone looks so young. Even so, he must have been one of the youngest people here."

"Where is he?"

"I saw them dragging him off to the office before they left. Don't know what happened to him after that."

And then nothing again, until another prisoner remembered seeing them pull a young man towards a sub.

They'd lost him.


	4. Chapter 4

The boy currently known as Nate sat shivering in a room obviously designed for interrogation. He had been told to wash with a special soap to rid him of the lice (a luxury for him, even if the water was freezing cold and the soap was still stinging his skin) and given a pair of baggy shorts to put on, which he tied at the waist with icy fingers. He no longer had enough weight to protect him against the slightest chill, and the concrete floor seemed to actually hurt him as the cold ran through his bare feet.

Two guards stood over him, which stuck him as ridiculous. He didn't think he presented much of a threat.

The door opened and two more men came in. One was obviously in charge, and the other walked behind him carrying a case. Nate had a very strong feeling that he didn't want to know what was in that case.

"Nate Bridges, that's your name?"

He nodded.

"You will address me as 'Colonel'."

He was torn. His first impulse was to spit in his eye and tell him where to stick his expectations, and that he'd rot in hell before he called him 'Colonel'. A year ago, that would have been his response.

But he had been through a lot since then, and the case made him think about how bad things might get. It seemed stupid to be needlessly antagonistic.

The colonel smiled as he watched these thoughts run through the boy's mind.

"Well?"

"Yes Colonel."

"Good."

He sat down.

"There was a security breach in the camp. Our computers were hacked. It was traced to you. Was it?"

Nate looked up defiantly. "No Colonel."

"Really? So this man...," he laid a series of photographs on the table, "was lying?"

Despite himself, Nate stared at the photos. They were of George, and showed some of the things they had done to him. He felt the bile rise in his throat and he tried to swallow.

"Yes Colonel. He was lying." He had hoped that his voice sounded steadier than it felt.

"And here I was hoping that you'd co-operate. Sam?"

This was apparently the name of the man with the case. He placed it on the table and threw it open for Nate to see. It seemed to contain about a dozen scary looking devices. He removed one and switched it on. It gave a small electrical hum, and a jolt of electricity buzzed between two prongs at the end.

Nate paled.

"So, are you ready to co-operate?"

In a voice that was barely a whisper he answered, "No."

Sam gave a nod, and the two guards behind pulled him to his feet. They removed his handcuffs and jerked his wrists upwards to metal cuffs hanging from the ceiling. He hung there, his feet just touching the floor, and now he was shaking with more than cold.

"Ready to talk?"

He saw no reason to answer politely at this point.

"So sorry to hear that. Sam, if you would."

Sam moved forward, the device in his hand, and pressed it against Nate's chest.

He screamed. He couldn't help it. An electrical current ran through him and he could smell the burning of his skin. It was agony.

"That's the mildest one. The lowest setting."

He stared at the colonel in horror.

"Are you going to be more co-operative?"

He shook his head.

"Then let's see if we can change your mind, shall we?"

* * *

He woke up on the floor. His whole body hurt and he was jittery, as though the electrical tremors were still running through his body. His wrists were raw and bloodied from where he had struggled and his shoulders ached from bearing his weight. His throat was raw from screaming and a coughing fit doubled him over.

"I think that's enough to make our point for today. You may want to spend the night reconsidering your position. Take him away."

The guards reached down and grabbed him by the wrists. He gave a yelp, it seemed to be all the sound he could make. They didn't wait for him to stand and recover his footing, but dragged him down the corridor to a small cell. They threw him down with a small kick to the stomach and left.

That was the last thing he remembered that night.

* * *

They became more inventive as the days went by. They continued to apply the electrical shocks, as well as beating him. It was getting harder to resist them. He sometimes lost time while they were working on him, and couldn't remember what had happened or what he had said. He hoped he hadn't told them anything important.

After the fifth day, the colonel smiled at Nate.

"I have a special treat for you tonight. I feel particularly pleased with my creativity. You see, I feel that we've been giving you too much time to recover between sessions, so now let's see how you do when you don't have to think or sleep. Gentlemen, take him away."

Nate had no idea what was awaiting him.

They took him to a different room this time. As usual, they opened the door and threw him inside.

The colonel had a right to be pleased with himself, Nate thought. This was torture indeed.

Each of the walls was a large video screen with loud action movies playing on each one. The volume was almost unbearable. He tried to cover his ears but there was little to no difference. He lay on the cold floor and tried to cover his head and sleep, but he couldn't block out the noise and the images. He felt assaulted by them. As he lay there, a low electrical pulse ran through the floor and delivered a mild electric shock.

He didn't see any way that he was going to sleep. The shocks in the floor came at random times, there was no pattern to get used to. They were never more than a couple of hours apart, in his estimation, and sometimes it was only minutes.

The next day, his head was fuzzy and he couldn't concentrate. Between the noise, the images and the shocks, he hadn't slept at all.

When they pulled him into the interrogation room, he was almost ready to give in. He knew the colonel could see him weakening.

"Are we feeling more co-operative this morning, Mr. Bridges?"

He shook his head, but with less conviction than before.

"Very well. Gentlemen, return him to his room."

"No, please..."

"Are you ready to co-operate?"

He shook his head again.

"Gentlemen."

And they took him back to his room.

* * *

Exhaustion meant that he did manage to snatch some sleep here and there, but it was interrupted and he didn't feel rested at all. He held out for three more days, and then he couldn't bear it any longer.

When he was pulled in for questioning and was asked, 'are you ready to co-operate?', he simply nodded.

The Colonel smiled. "Good."

The questions they asked that day seemed almost benign. At that point, it seemed ridiculous to keep denying that it hadn't been him. They all knew it had been, George had even given them his name.

He was returned to a different room with a camp style bed and a blanket. He slept heavily and dreamlessly, but there were spots of blood on the pillow when he woke up.


	5. Chapter 5

After a night of sleep, he was angry that he had began to co-operate with them.

The questions they asked that day were more important, and he was once again determined not to betray his friends.

He was returned to the video room.

This time he lasted only two days. His mind was becoming fuzzy and he couldn't concentrate. He started to answer the questions he thought were relatively benign, but stopped when he thought they could be important.

He was determined to hold out for longer this time. He wouldn't betray anyone. The snatches of sleep he was getting weren't enough, but he promised himself that he wouldn't give in this time.

He managed five days. He thought he might be starting to lose his mind.

He was seeing movement out of the corners of his eyes, creatures scurrying along the floor. The walls were starting to move and the figures from the video screens were starting to reach out and speak to him.

When he was returned to the interrogation room, he was so tired that he couldn't stand. The guards dragged him to the room and threw him into a chair. As they waited for the colonel, he laid his head on the table and fell instantly asleep.

It must have been only minutes before his head was pulled up by his hair. He started coughing, and they watched him as he fought to regain his breath.

"You are a mess, Mr. Bridges. Things could be very different if you'd only agree to work with us."

The colonel's voice was muffled, and Lucas looked at him quizzically. He started to reply, and found that his voice was muffled too.

"I won't betray them."

Surprisingly, the colonel nodded. "I understand. And as foolish as it may be, I admire your loyalty. But what about doing some work for us that won't trouble your conscience?"

The boy looked up, suspicious.

"Nothing that would compromise you, I assure you. Just some information we need to retrieve about our own government officials. That wouldn't be a problem, would it?"

He thought about it. He couldn't go back to that room, and access to a computer would be the opportunity he needed to send another SOS. He could pull up the information they wanted, he couldn't help everyone. At least this way, the only people he would hurt would be the politicians who made this mess.

He nodded. "Yes Colonel."

The colonel smiled.

They half dragged, half carried him to the computer room. He was thrown down into a chair and given a folder.

"This is the man that you're trying to find. Don't do anything stupid. I think you know by now that the consequences will not be good for you if you do."

He began to work. Working on the computer had always been a way for him to lose himself, and surprisingly, he started to forget how tired he was.

He checked the name on the file. Christopher Harris. He ran a search for his name and decided that he had no qualms whatsoever in tracking him down for them.

The man had been prominent in Alexander Bourne's government, a proponent of declaring war on the UEO and yet completely corrupt within his own government. He was an arms producer who was discovered funneling funds from the government into his own account.

Nate went to work.

He followed trails, traced names and bank accounts, and researched all suspicious financial activity before his disappearance. Finally, he sat back. He'd been working for four hours.

He called out to no-one in particular, "I've found him."

One of the guards assigned to him walked to the wall and pressed the com. Within minutes, the colonel returned.

"Mr. Bridges?"

"I've found him." He handed him a sheet of paper. "This is his address. And these are the bank accounts where he hid the money."

The colonel's eyes lit up. This was more than they had hoped for.

"Very good work, Mr. Bridges. Or may I call you Nate? Very good work."

"Can I sleep now?"

"Yes." He motioned to the guards. "Take him to get some rest."

Oddly, he didn't sleep that well even though he was in the other room. He would sleep for a couple of hours, but then found himself waking and bracing himself for the electrical charge that he had become so used to.

He knew that he had to make his move soon.

The next day, they gave him another folder. He started to work on it, and then quickly moved on to sending out another SOS. This time he was too tired to work on a difficult encryption, his brain was too foggy. He knew they would find it quickly, but hopefully the signal would be received by the UEO first.

Even without the SOS, this time it took longer. The computer couldn't distract him from the fogginess in his brain. After six hours he handed the information to the colonel and immediately collapsed.

He woke up back in the quiet room. At least his collapse had given him a few extra hours of unconsciousness. He rolled over and fell back to sleep.

The next day, they gave him another folder. When he started to work on it, he saw that the target was UEO. He pushed back his chair.

"No."

He was dragged back to the video room.


	6. Chapter 6

Meanwhile, the UEO had found and tracked the second SOS, and the seaQuest was on its way.

Again, it required a small incursion into Macronesian territory. Captain Hudson decided to send in a small team. Sub fighters would be deployed to lead the attack outside and provide armed cover while Commander Ford, Lonnie Henderson, Tony Piccolo and Dagwood were assigned to take a launch and retrieve their target.

* * *

The colonel received a call on the vidlink.

"Yes?" This was a top secret facility, names were never used.

"Colonel, we have a breach. An SOS has been sent from your facility. Do you know how this happened?"

He paled. "Bridges. I thought we'd broken him. He was helping us. He must have double crossed us."

"We're fighting on too many fronts right now to protect this facility. Your orders are to evacuate with all sensitive information. We'll send a small force to try and defend the facility if we can, but if we can't, we want your team to be secure."

"Thank you Sir. And the boy?"

"Leave him. He's proving to be more trouble than he's worth."

"Should we dispose of him?"

"No, we still hope that you'll be able to return and work on him some more. We've been intrigued by your results so far, we'd like to see how far you can go with this. Incapacitate him so that he can't try to escape for himself, that should be sufficient. Leave as soon as you can. They should be with you in a couple of days, and we want you and the equipment well out of the area by then."

"Yes Sir."

He clicked off the vidlink. He was furious. He had been doing this work for years and he had been sure that they had broken the boy.

He motioned to the guards. "Bring the boy to the interrogation room."

They dragged him back in and secured him to the ceiling chain. He gasped in pain as his shoulders and wrists protested.

"Nate, it seems that you decided to betray us after all. I did warn you that the consequences would be unpleasant, did I not?"

The boy glared at him, looking scared but still defiant. The colonel almost felt sorry that he didn't have longer to work on him, now that he knew his limits.

"You know, these guards have been dragging you here and there and it's been very tiresome for them. I imagine they have a lot of frustration to work out. Gentlemen, go ahead. Oh, but leave him alive and conscious."

Nate's mind was now so muddled that he couldn't have begged even if he'd wanted to. He didn't know how long he had been in the video room this time. There was an aura around everything, and his captors looked to him like monsters with cartoonish faces. He was locked in a world of terror, with walls closing in on him and creatures scurrying at the edges of his vision.

Dimly, he wondered why his captors were whispering. He couldn't make out anything they were saying.

The guards started to beat him, thankfully pulling their punches so that they wouldn't knock him out. One struck him three times in the face, near the eye and the jaw on one side, and on the cheek on the other. He felt nothing break, but his face throbbed, and in some part of his brain he thought the bruises would be spectacular. The other seemed to concentrate on his chest, although again, he felt nothing actually break.

They paused as he started to cough, and for a minute he thought that he could pass out from the pain and it would all be over. He came back swiftly, with the strong smell of ammonia under his nose. Smelling salts.

"Welcome back. Thank you, Mr. Bridges, they enjoyed that. It's so important to keep the workers happy, don't you agree? But then, why should they have all the fun?"

He walked to a cupboard and pulled out a heavy stick, similar to a ruler, but thicker.

"Do you know that the rule of thumb refers to the size of the stick that a man could beat his wife with? It had to be smaller than his thumb. I've always been fond of trivia, it's a weakness of mine. I'm afraid this one is a little bigger than my thumb. You'll have to let me know how effective it is."

He pulled the stick back and started to strike Nate repeatedly on his back. This time the attack continued for a little while after he lost consciousness. The colonel had been extremely annoyed by his betrayal.

Once again, they brought him back with smelling salts. The colonel examined him curiously.

"You aren't even with us, are you Mr. Bridges? You can't even understand me right now. I wish we could have spent longer studying the effectiveness of my sleep depravation room, it would have been fascinating, especially with a mind such as yours. We'll just have to hope that we can return and resume our association. In the meantime, I have orders to make sure that you can't leave on your own, and I always follow orders. Sam, I believe that you can handle this."

Sam walked forward with a large steel bar, and pulling his arms back to their furthest point, he propelled it forward, striking Nate in the upper thigh. They all heard the crunch of bone, and he passed out once again.

"Now gentlemen, we only have a couple of days to dismantle everything and take our leave. Put him back in his room and let's get ready." He had a sudden thought, and smiled cruelly.

"And Sam, why don't you ask our computer boffins to change the video feed in his room? He played such an important part in our studies that it seems a shame if he doesn't get to see it."


	7. Chapter 7

Once again, the seaQuest team was surprised and suspicious when they found no-one offering resistance.

They docked and waited while the attack team reconnoitered the outside of the prison and gave them the all clear.

They moved warily through the facility, but it seemed that they used the same M.O. as before - almost all of the portable items had been removed.

A few computers had been left behind, and Lonnie moved forward to see what she could find from them. One guard remained with her while the others moved farther into the building. They moved slowly, checking in each of the rooms as they progressed.

Tony stared into a room that was empty except for a table, two chairs and a chain that hung from the ceiling. A long piece of wood leaned against the wall. It didn't require a huge amount of imagination to figure out what went on in this room.

Dagwood walked past him to a room at the end of the hallway. It had the same tall, solid door as the rest of the rooms, but his dagger hearing could hear a murmur of sound.

He tried the door and found it locked. A panel next to the door had two buttons, one green and one red. Dagwood knew that green was usually the button that opened things, and he pressed it.

The door opened, revealing a cacophony of sound. Television screens flashed images over the whole surface of every wall. He winced for a moment at the noise, and saw a figure sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. The figure held his head in his hands and seemed to be twitching and shaking.

He moved forward. "Hello?"

The figure didn't respond. He tried again, but louder, to be heard over the noise.

"Hello?"

The figure took his hands from his head and looked up. As their eyes met, the boy's eyes widened and he smiled.

Dagwood saw a face colored shades of black, blue and yellow and swollen into unnatural lumps. He saw the lips move, and even with his hearing only just heard what he said.

"Dagwood?"

The dagger looked shocked for a moment. He knelt down and examined the face before him, imagining it without the odd colors and swelling.

"Lucas?"

The figure nodded, and said something that made no sense to him at all.

"I haven't seen you here before. It's a nice change from the monsters." His voice was dreamy and disjointed.

Looking back at the door, Dagwood saw Tony approaching the room.

"Tony, it's Lucas!"

Tony wondered what he was talking about. Lucas? Lucas who? The only Lucas they knew was dead, he died months ago...

He moved into the room and looked at the figure on the floor. His heart skipped for a moment.

He fell down on his knees and grabbed his friend's face in his hands. He ran his fingers over the abused features.

"Oh my God, Lucas?"

It was him, it was Lucas.

Lucas was smiling, but tears were running down his cheeks. He said something, but Tony couldn't make out what it was. He looked at Dagwood, but he only shook his head as if it made no sense.

Tony shook his head and pointed to his ear.

Suddenly, Lucas pushed them both away and buried his face in his arm as he started to cough.

"Luke? You okay?"

Tony tried to lift his head, but Lucas only pushed him away.

After a moment, Lucas looked up. Tony recoiled as he saw blood on his lips.

"Lucas?"

Lucas grimaced. "Infectious," he enunciated. Again, he said something else that Tony couldn't make out.

Tony realized that they needed to move. He was reluctant to leave his friend's side, but moved back to the door. He saw Ford and shouted.

"Commander!"

Ford was coming towards him, but started to run at Tony's shout.

"What is it?"

Tony looked very odd, he thought. He couldn't place the expression on his face.

"Commander...it's Lucas!"

"What?"

He moved back into the room, Ford following him.

Ford looked over towards Dagwood, and then turned his gaze towards the figure beside him. Unmistakable blue eyes turned towards him.

He froze. "How?"

Suddenly, Tony gasped and touched his shoulder. He motioned to the screens. Jonathon looked up, and saw something that made him want to vomit.

When they'd walked in they'd all been so distracted by the figure on the floor that they hadn't noticed what was playing on the screens. A part of Tony's brain had made him think that it was some kind of action movie, with lots of yelling and screaming. Now they looked, they could see that every screen showed different images of Lucas being tortured and beaten. His screams made their blood run cold.

Ford quickly recovered himself. He crouched beside the boy.

"Lucas, we've got to get you out of here!" He had to shout to make himself heard. "Can you walk?"

Lucas shook his head.

"Are you injured?"

He nodded and pointed to his right leg, and then started speaking again. Suddenly, a jolt of electricity ran through the floor, knocking down Ford and Piccolo, who were crouching, and making Dagwood jump back.

"What was that?"

Lucas tried to say something once again, but Ford couldn't hear. He held up his hand to signal 'wait' and walked outside the room. He pushed the door until he could hear and pulled out his PAL.

"Lonnie, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Sir."

"Lonnie, I need you to cut off the power to the room we're in, can you do it? It's the room at the end of the hall."

"I think so, hold on."

There was silence for a couple of minutes and then she said, "Okay, there aren't separate controls for that room, but I can cut off power to that section. Looks like they have emergency lighting, so you should still be able to find your way around."

"Okay, do it. Are you nearly finished?"

"Coupla' minutes more and I'll be done."

"Okay, be ready to leave as soon as possible."


	8. Chapter 8

He walked back into the room just as the screens cut out and the noise stopped. The lights went out and were replaced by dimmer emergency lighting that cast an eerie glow.

Jonathon saw Tony start back as the lights switched off, and saw that the shadows seemed to highlight the angles of the boy's gaunt face, with the swellings making it look like a distorted skull.

"I had Lonnie turn off the power," he explained. "What was that, in the floor?"

Lucas looked at him, questioning. He repeated the question in a louder tone, casting a concerned look at Tony.

"An electric current runs through the floor at random times. Stops me from sleeping. Shouldn't affect you though, you're not really here. It's nice to see you though."

They exchanged worried glances.

Ford looked into his face again, and asked loudly, "Where are you hurt?"

"I have a few broken ribs and I'm pretty sure my leg is broken." He pointed to it again, and added, almost casually, "I felt it crack. The real problem is the cough, I think it's infectious. I guess I can't infect you, can I?"

His eyes drifted around the room, and he started as if he saw something move.

The others looked around but could see nothing.

"Okay, we need to get him out of here, but we need to find a few things first. We'll be back in a moment, okay Lucas?"

Lucas looked as if leaving him there again was very much not okay, and Tony looked about to agree.

"Tony, we have to find something to immobilize his leg and cover his mouth. Dagwood can stay here with him, okay Dagwood?"

"Okay." Dagwood moved to sit beside him. Lucas didn't know why these hallucinations were so vivid, he was starting to wonder if they might be real after all. It just seemed like too much to hope for.

Seeing the state of his friend, Dagwood shocked him by pulling him close in a hug so that Lucas was leaning against his chest. Ford was about to warn Dagwood to avoid getting too close in case of infection, and then saw the look on Lucas' face. His eyes had closed and he looked completely at peace.

He pulled Tony along as they looked for the lab he'd passed earlier.

"Why's he talking like that? He's not makin' any sense, what's wrong with him?"

"I don't know, but we're not going to find out here. We need to get him back to seaQuest. Look, in here."

They ran into the lab and began to rummage around.

"Got a mask!" Tony held one up and waved it in the air.

"Good!" Ford found some bandages and looked around for something to use as a splint. He couldn't find anything. 'We need a splint."

Tony started to move outside and look in other rooms when he suddenly remembered. "Wait, I saw something earlier. Just a sec..."

He disappeared for a few minutes and then ran back, this time carrying a long piece of wood, similar to a ruler. It reminded Ford of one of those sticks you get to mix up large tubs of paint, but a lot thicker. He nodded, and they ran back. Dagwood moved to help them and Lucas' eyes flew open.

Ford knelt beside him again. "Okay, let's get you fixed up. Where's the break?"

Lucas looked confused, but pointed to just below his thigh. Tony raised the wood for the splint, and Lucas flinched back. They suddenly realized what it might have been used for. For a brief moment, their eyes flashed back to the video screens.

Tony dropped it for Ford to pick up and knelt beside his friend.

"Hey, it's okay, we're gonna use it as a splint and get you fixed up and out of here!"

Lucas tried to smile, but Tony had the sense that he hadn't understood him.

"What's wrong, Lucas?"

Lucas watched him as he spoke and said, "I'm having trouble hearing you."

Tony raised his voice. "Is this better?"

Lucas gave a watery smile and nodded.

In the same loud tone, Tony continued, "Don't worry, we'll soon get you back to seaQuest and fix you up. You're gonna be fine."

Ford was ready to start wrapping his leg, and tapped his shoulder.

"Okay, I'm going to splint it now, are you ready?"

Lucas nodded. If this was real, then this would hurt like hell. He closed his eyes and dug his nails into his palms.

Ford had Dagwood hold the leg steady and raise it a little as he wound the bandages around the splinted leg. Lucas gave a little gasp and passed out.

"That's good, won't be as bad to move him if he's unconscious. Tony, put the mask on him anyway, in case he wakes up. He might wake up coughing."

Tony leaned forward and placed it over his mouth.

"Ready Dagwood?"

"Yes Sir."

"Okay then, let's go."

They moved quickly out of the room. Dagwood held Lucas as Tony walked beside them keeping the broken leg as steady as possible.

"Dagwood, Tony, take him to the boat. We'll meet you there in a few minutes."

They nodded, and headed towards the sub.

Ford ran back to the computer banks. "Lonnie, do you have the data?"

"Almost, it's got about a minute to go before the download's complete. Did you find our guy?"

There was going to be no easy way to tell her.

"Yes. Lonnie...the guy we found?"

"Uh huh?" She started to un-hook her devices from the mainframe.

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. "Lonnie. The guy we found. It's Lucas."

"Lucas?"

"Lucas. Our Lucas, Lucas Wolenczak."

She looked incredulous. "How?"

"I don't know, but we've got to go. Are you ready?"

She shoved the last few things in her bag. "Let's go."

Then ran to the sub, where Tony had the engines running already.

"Come on, let's get outta here!"

Once they strapped themselves in, he took off at speed.

Lonnie, piloting the sub with Tony, looked back at the form still clutched tightly in Dagwood's arms.

"Is it really him?" From this angle, she could tell nothing from the swollen, distorted face.

Tony followed her glance. "Yeah. Don't know how, but it's him."

She could see from their faces that they were worried. "How is he?"

"Pretty sure he's not doing well. We need to get him back to med bay as soon as we can."

Dagwood was cradling him in his arms like a child. "I thought he was dead."

"Yeah, Dagwood, we all did."

Lonnie said what they were all thinking. "He didn't actually say he was dead, did he? Captain Bridger, I mean. He said people had died and he'd lost someone very dear to him and he was leaving. We just assumed..."

"Well, why wouldn't we?" Tony was angry. "If he knew Lucas was okay, why wouldn't he have asked to see him or speak to him before he left? Lucas was like a son to him! Why would he even leave if Lucas was still alive and on the seaQuest?"

Ford shook his head. "I don't know, Tony. But I guess we need to find out."


	9. Chapter 9

Communications had been knocked out so there was no way to contact seaQuest before they arrived. When they reached the docking bay, Captain Hudson was waiting for them.

Ford came out first, yelling towards Hudson. "We need a med team, now."

Hudson quickly made the call. "Commander, what happened?"

Lonnie came next, looking worriedly behind her, then Tony and Dagwood came out together, Dagwood holding someone in his arms and Tony fussing beside him.

"You found the agent?"

"Yes. Captain, it's Lucas."

At Hudson's blank expression, he elucidated. "Our Lucas, Lucas Wolenczak. He's the hacker."

Hudson didn't show surprise very often, but he showed it now. "Lucas Wolenczak? I thought he was dead?"

"We all did. Turns out, he isn't." He paused. "Not yet, anyway."

The med team had a hard time trying to get Dagwood to put Lucas down. Eventually, Tony had to step in.

"Dagwood, you've got to let them help him, okay Buddy?"

Tony knew how he felt. He didn't want to leave his side. As they whisked the gurney to the med bay, he ran behind it with the others.

They quickly told Perry everything they knew, and then Lucas was taken into surgery and they were told to wait.

Hudson looked at the others. "It's really him?"

They nodded.

"How did this happen? Why was he there?"

Ford spoke for all of them. "I don't know. We thought he was dead. He didn't come back with the rest of us, and then after Captain Bridger's speech we all assumed that meant he was dead. Why would he have left otherwise? And why didn't he ask for him?"

"Evidently, we were incorrect in our assumption. How long do you think he was there?"

They were quiet for a moment, until Tony broke the silence.

"He looked awful, like he was starving. I think he's been in that camp since we got back."

Lonnie looked at them in horror. "It was bad enough for us, but can you imagine waking up and not knowing where you were or what happened, and then finding that you're in hostile territory and being put in prison? He must have been so confused!"

There was another silence as they thought about that, until Dagwood asked, "What about his parents?"

Ford answered Dagwood, but looked at Captain Hudson. "His father disappeared four years ago. I spoke to his mother when we got back, to see if she wanted his things. She said she'd already mourned for him and didn't want anything. I guess we should call her." He didn't look happy about it.

"We can wait until we know how he is. There's no point in calling her until then."

They fell silent again, and waited. It seemed like forever before Doctor Perry came out.

"Okay, he's recovering in quarantine."

"How is he Doctor?"

She took a breath and sat down.

"Look's like he's been through a lot. He has a femoral shaft fracture, I don't even want to think about how he got that. The femur is the strongest bone in the body, a break there is usually the result of a high impact hit, like a car crash. We've put in a rod to keep it in place, that's what the surgery was for. He has a brace on now to keep it steady. Additionally, he has two fractured ribs, we'll just have to leave those to heal by themselves. It'll hurt like hell when he's coughing, but with his physical state I just didn't want to risk another surgical procedure. He already has a slight fever and signs of infection."

"His shoulders are red and bruised, and he has cuts on his wrists that are consistent with fighting against restraints. He has cuts and welts on his back and extensive bruising across his body. He also has a number of small burns on his body. I'm guessing that he's received a number of electrical shocks."

Lonnie put her hands over her face. "Oh God!"

Hudson's face was stony. "What else, Doctor?"

"His face looks bad, but it looks like there's no lasting damage, nothing's broken. He'll probably wake up with a killer headache and I imagine his jaw will be tender for a few days, but since he's severely malnourished, he's not going to be chewing anything for a little while. We're going to have to slowly re-introduce him to a proper diet, it's going to be broths and soups until he's adjusted. And last, but definitely not least, he was right about his cough being infectious. It's a mutated - and extremely nasty - strain of tuberculosis."

Tony looked up in shock. "Can people still get that? I thought that was an old time thing... didn't Doc Holliday have it?"

"Yes he did, and unfortunately we still have it today. It's not so common as it was, but there are still areas where it's a problem, and a disease like that thrives in a place like the prison camp. However, the pathology of this strain suggests that the mutation was man made. I've checked, they were inundated with cases from the camp. I'm guessing it was their testing ground."

Hudson spoke. "Can it be treated?"

'They started working on a vaccine and a cure since they saw the first cases from the camp. We need to head to New Cape Quest and they can give us both. Until then, we have to treat this as an infectious disease, it's far more virulent than the usual strain. We're going to have to wear hazmat suits to treat him until we get the vaccine, and even after that he'll still have to remain in quarantine until he's no longer infectious. There are always a few people who reject a vaccine, and we can't risk this coming into contact with the general population. You'll all have to be tested by the way, we need to make sure that he didn't transmit it to anyone."

"He was really careful about not letting us near him when he was coughing, even though he was really out of it. Hey, why was that anyway?"

"From what you've told me, they were trying to use sleep depravation to break him. Depending on how long they were doing it for, it can cause all kinds of problems. Hallucinations and dissociation are some of the nastiest. As well as that, we found traces of drugs in his system that would have exacerbated the effects."

"Will he be okay when he wakes up?"

"He should be. There may be some long term issues, we'll have to wait and see. He just needs to get as much sleep as possible as he recovers."

"Does he have to be all alone?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so, Dagwood. He needs to be away from everyone else until we get him started on a cure and it starts to work. He'll be released when he's no longer infectious. With regular TB that's usually about two to three weeks. You can still see him through the glass and talk to him through the intercom."

"He'll feel like he's in a zoo! Captain?"

"We don't mess around with infectious diseases, Mr. Piccolo."

"What if I wear one of those 'bio-hazard' suit thingys, can I see him then?"

Hudson looked at her and raised an eyebrow. People usually didn't try so hard to be around infectious diseases.

She thought for a moment. "Alright, as long as you're careful. No removing any part of the suit though, for any reason. Especially the face mask."

"Agreed! Okay Doc, let's get me tested so I can go see him."


	10. Chapter 10

All of them tested negatively for the disease, and Tony was allowed to go and sit and wait with his friend.

In the meantime, Oliver Hudson and Jonathon Ford needed to find out how this could have happened.

Captain Bridger had all but disappeared after his first and last communication with seaQuest after his return. They called everyone they could think of to find him, but came up with nothing.

It was Commander Ford who thought of using Darwin.

The Vocorder had been damaged since they had returned, and everyone had found it impossible to fix. Eventually, they stopped trying - especially since Captain Hudson consisdered it to be a worthless endeavor - but Darwin still patrolled the aquatubes and his friends still visited him.

The problem of how to tell him what they needed to was given to Tim O'Neill, who had been as shocked as everyone else when he discovered that his friend was still alive.

He had learned Captain Bridger's hand signals, being interested in every form of communication, and he and Lucas had considered the possibility of a situation just like this one. He knew enough to tell the dolphin 'find Bridger. Find Bridger.'

And then, all they could do was wait.

* * *

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Lucas woke up slowly and quietly, not to an electric current running through him and the sound of loud video screens.

His body felt heavy and drugged. He felt a moment of panic as he realized that his body was immobilized and he couldn't move. He started to struggle, and his panic only increased as a person in a hazmat suit put out a hand to hold him down.

"Luke, it's me, Tony! Calm down, okay? You're on seaQuest, you're okay!"

His eyes moved frantically. It looked like the seaQuest, but he didn't recognize this room. He tried to speak, but found his voice muffled by an oxygen mask strapped over his face.

Before he could reach for it, Tony leaned forward and removed the mask, as well as the straps that were holding him down.

"Better?"

Lucas nodded, and Tony poured him some water and raised the bed slightly so that he could drink.

"Thanks," he rasped. He started; he knew that he'd spoken, but he couldn't hear his own voice. "Tony? What's wrong? I can't hear what I'm saying. I could hear you!"

"Can you hear me now?"

Lucas watched his lips move through his visor, but shook his head. Tony raised his voice, "What about now?"

He nodded. "Yes, but barely."

He raised his voice closer to the volume it had been when he was almost shouting at Lucas to calm down. "And now? Can you hear this?"

"Yes."

They realized the implications. Tony started to move to the comm on the wall, but Lucas reached out a hand and pulled him back.

"No, please, not yet." He motioned to the straps that had been around his waist and chest, and to Tony's suit. "What's going on?"

Tony sat beside him and made sure that he was still speaking loud enough for Lucas to hear. It wasn't too hard, he wasn't the quietest of people to begin with.

"Your leg was broken and it needs to be kept still for a while. You were moving about too much while you were sleeping, so they had to restrain you so ya didn't do more damage. You're in quarantine because you have a type of TB, it's why I'm dressed like this. Doc says you might be here for a few weeks, they've got to get you on some meds before they can fix you up."

Lucas relaxed slightly. "Where is she?"

"Who?"

"Wendy. And where's the captain? Is he here? Can you tell him I'm awake?"

Tony felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. Why, why, why, hadn't he thought of this?

Of course he expected to see Wendy Smith and Captain Bridger! Captain Bridger had been like a father to him, he would expect him to be waiting for him to wake up. Why didn't he think this through and realize that now he would have to be the one to tell him everything that had happened?

"Lucas..."

He had started too softly, he could see that Lucas was straining to hear. Tony really didn't want to have to shout as he explained things, but he saw no other choice. He cleared his throat, and started again.

"Lucas...how much do you know about our return?"

Lucas closed his eyes for a moment.

"I know it's been ten years for everyone else." He was trying to talk louder, but all he could hear was a murmur of sound. "I heard that the seaQuest was found and we'd all come back. Why? Did something happen to the captain? What happened, where is he? Is he alright?" He was starting to get agitated.

"Luke, calm down, Captain Bridger is fine, it's okay."

He waited as Lucas tried to calm his breathing.

"Captain Bridger..." He had to say it quickly, before Lucas could panic again, but how to tell him?

"When Captain Bridger returned, he found he had a grandson that had been left at the Embassy. The kid was four, so his son must have been alive four years ago. He left the seaQuest to go and find him and look after his grandson."

He watched as the emotions flitted over Lucas' face. While he was glad for the captain, it was obvious that he had expected more from him.

"He wasn't looking for me?"

Tony decided to tell a half truth. "No. Lucas, I'm sorry. We all thought you were dead."

Lucas' eyes widened in shock. "You thought I was dead? No-one was trying to find me?"

"Wendy, Miguel and Jim died on Hyperion, along with seven other crewmembers. We thought you were one of them. I'm sorry Lucas."

Lucas bit his lip, and looked like he was fighting to keep control of himself. "I'm sorry, I'm really tired, do you mind if I sleep now?"

"Lucas..."

"Please Tony!"

"Okay. Send for me if you want me, okay?"

Lucas nodded and turned his face away. Tony thought he could see tears running down his cheeks.


	11. Chapter 11

Before he left, Tony told Doctor Perry about his conversation with Lucas. She left him to sleep for a couple of hours, but when she saw him wake up, she put on a suit and went into the room.

"Lucas?"

She saw him frown, and spoke again, in a louder tone. "Hello Lucas, I'm Doctor Perry."

"Hello."

"How are you feeling?"

"Okay."

"I somehow doubt that."

"I'm feeling better."

She smiled at him. "That I do believe. How's your leg, is it causing you any pain?"

"Some, not too much." He didn't feel the need to add that so much of him hurt that he barely noticed his leg.

"Let me know if it gets too bad, okay? It'll only delay the healing process if you're fighting pain needlessly. Anything else? Headache, chest pain, nausea?"

All of the above, he thought, but concentrated on the one that was bothering him the most. "Headache."

"On a scale of one to ten, one being the lowest?"

"Eight."

"Okay, I can get you something to help with that." She guessed that he was trying not to complain and playing down the amount of pain he was in.

She walked over to a wall cabinet, punched in a code and pulled out a bottle. She poured out two pills and handed them to him with a glass of water. He swallowed them gratefully, and then asked, "My hearing?"

She nodded and sat down. "Can you tell me how long you were in that room?"

He paled thinking of it.

"I'm sorry Lucas, it's important. Days, weeks?"

"There were breaks in between, I'm not sure in total. I think it was weeks."

She nodded. "We need to run a few tests, but I think it's noise induced hearing loss. Advances have been made in the last few years and we should be able to fix it. It might take a little while though."

He bit his lip. He hated not being able to hear normal everyday sounds, and it was so strange to not hear his own voice when speaking. He felt too tired to shout.

"Don't worry about it, that's the worst thing you can do. The time will pass, you've already suffered more than that. You can hold on a little longer."

"How long will I be in quarantine?"

"Two or three weeks, I'm afraid. You have a mutated strain of TB, a lot of people got it from the camp. They have the new medications at New Cape Quest, we're going to fetch them now. It should be here in a few days, then we just have to wait for it to stop being infectious."

The door clicked open while she was speaking. Lucas was so focused on watching her lips that he missed it, and started when he saw someone appear beside her.

She put out a hand to calm him.

"Lucas Wolenczak, I'm Captain Hudson. The seaQuest is under my command."

Lucas instantly bristled at his tone, as if he was trying to make it clear who was in charge here.

"Captain."

His attempt to sound equally brusk was ruined as he started to cough. Even protected by a suit, Hudson was ashamed that his first instinct was to back away. Perry moved forward with a cloth, and held it over his mouth as he clutched his chest. Afterwards, there was blood on the cloth and a little on his lips, which she carefully wiped away.

She held a glass of water to his lips. He reached for it, but found his hand was shaking too much to hold it.

"You're too weak right now, just let me hold it for you."

He sipped the water, and rested his head back. The coughing had caused his leg to shift and torn at his chest. The pain was excruciating.

"You have a couple of cracked ribs, that's why the coughing hurts so much. Do you need something for the pain?"

He nodded, and she walked to a table and pulled out a syringe, which she injected into his drip.

"Better?"

"Yes. Thanks." It would have been more convincing if he hadn't been speaking through gritted teeth.

Hudson moved back to the bed and sat down. Lucas knew nothing about the man, but he had taken a rather evil delight in watching the man scurry back when he'd been coughing. Something about him just seemed to rub Lucas the wrong way.

"We need to ask you some questions, do you mind talking about it now?"

The look on Lucas' face was at odds with his answer. "Okay."

He never wanted to even think about it again, but he knew he'd have to give a report. Maybe if he did it now, he wouldn't have to think of it again.

Perry interrupted, horrified. "Do you have to do this now? He hasn't even been here a day, he needs time to rest!"

"It would be best to have all the information as soon as possible, so we know what we're dealing with."

They were speaking to each other, but in such angry tones that Lucas could hear every word. He reached for the doctor and touched her arm.

"It's okay, I can do this." He looked as though he was going to be sick. "I want to do it now and get it over with."

Perry conceded, but looked doubtful. "Alright, but he's going to have someone with him, a friend." She turned to Lucas. "Would you like Tony to be here?"

Lucas bristled. "I'm not a child!"

"No, you're all of eighteen years old. Does that mean you wouldn't like him here?"

Lucas fell silent. He didn't want to talk about it at all. He understood that he had to, they had to know what was going on, but the thought of saying the words aloud made him feel sick to his stomach. He realized that he did want someone here that felt as though they were on his side. Although Doctor Perry seemed nice, he didn't know her, and Captain Hudson made him feel like he was getting ready for another interrogation. At least if Tony was here, he would have a friend to support him.

Perry correctly interpreted his silence, and pressed the comm on the wall. "Tony Piccolo to the med bay."

Hudson looked irritated, but they waited in silence. In truth, he admired the boy. He had obviously been through a lot, and he could have insisted on waiting to talk, but he didn't. He certainly had stamina.

They saw Tony arrive in the med bay and get suited up. He hurried into the room, confused.

"Captain?"

"Mr Wolenczak is going to tell us what happened to him, and the doctor felt that he would be more comfortable with a friend present."

Tony looked around the room. Hudson looked irritated, Perry looked annoyed and Lucas looked sick and nervous. He sat on the other side of Lucas.

"Sure."


	12. Chapter 12

"Mr Wolenczak, can you please tell us what happened to you, from the beginning."

Lucas cleared his throat.

"I woke up on a beach in Bali. I'd been there a few months earlier with the captain," he quickly corrected, "Captain Bridger, I mean."

Hudson nodded, but said nothing.

"We found a pod of dolphins there, we stayed for hours just watching them. That's how I recognized the beach. I had no idea why I was there."

Tony broke in. "We were returned to the last peaceful thought we had."

"Huh."

"I woke up in a bar at the craps table."

Lucas grinned, and for a moment looked like his old self. "Makes sense."

Tony smiled back at the joke.

"Anyway, I started walking down the beach and just collapsed. Someone called an ambulance, and they called the police when they couldn't find any i.d. They started questioning me, but I really couldn't remember anything. So they decided I was lying and must be a spy, and they turned me over to intelligence. Some of the other detainees filled me in on the situation and told me that if they thought I was UEO they'd try to get more information from me, so I lied. I was pretty convincing, because I still couldn't remember much, although some of it was coming back to me slowly. But I gave them a fake name, one that the UEO would pick up on if they were looking for me, but the Macronesians wouldn't think anything about."

"What name did you give them?"

"Nate Bridges. I figured he'd know if he was looking..." His voice trailed off, and no-one knew what to say.

"And then what?"

"They decided I didn't know anything of value, and they put me in the camp. I was there until they started breaking it up."

"We found your transmission, we were coming to get you. We must have just missed you."

"Yeah. I saw the planes and the boats in the distance as they took me away. They found out that I'd sent the message. George," his voice cracked, "George was killed during questioning, he must have given them my name." He was shaking as he remembered what they'd done to him.

Tony looked at Lucas. "You okay? You wanna stop?"

Lucas shook his head. "I just want to get it over with."

"Sure?"

Lucas gave the ghost of a grin. "No, but let's do it anyway." They shared a brief smile.

He began again in a more clinical tone.

"They showed me the pictures of what they'd done to George, I don't blame him for telling them. Then they took me to the interrogation facility where you found me."

"What did they want to know?"

"How I sent the message, who I was, would I change my allegiance and work for them. I didn't tell them anything. At least, I don't think I did. There were times when I don't know what I said, I was worried that I'd say anything to make it stop." He looked at his hands. They were shaking.

Tony looked angrily at Hudson, and then leaned forward and squeezed Lucas' hand. Lucas looked down at his friend's hand in his, but didn't pull away.

"I don't think I could have told him anything though, because he just carried on asking me the same things, over and over."

"He?"

"He told me to call him the colonel." He closed his eyes for a moment and swallowed. "It helped that I'd given them a fake name. If they'd known my real name, I don't think I'd have stood a chance."

"When he realized that I wasn't going to tell them anything, he decided to 'get creative'. That's what he called it. He put me in that room."

Here he did stop while he took a few breaths. Perry moved to retrieve a syringe from the drawer.

"They wanted to see how long I could go without sleeping or resting. They had the screens on all the time, and they gradually raised the volume each day. I think they did, anyway. It felt like it. There was an electric current that ran through the floor at random times to jolt me awake if I started to doze. I became so tired that I would start to sleep for an hour or two despite the noise until the shock came. They just left me there, until I agreed to help them."

Hudson raised an eyebrow, and Tony shot his captain an angry look.

"You agreed to help them?"

"It's not what you think. They said they needed information about a member of their government. I looked him up, it was genuine. I found the information and gave it to them. That night, they let me sleep in a different room. It was weird though, I was so tired but I couldn't sleep. Kept waking up every few hours waiting for the shock to come."

He wiped his hand across his face, and was surprised to find he was sweating. He felt cold.

Doctor Perry was concerned. "Shall we stop there? We could carry on tomorrow."

"No, I'm alright. Could I have another blanket though? I'm freezing."

"Of course. You have a bit of a fever, I'm afraid, that's why you feel so cold." She checked his temperature and frowned. "I really think you should stop and get some rest."

"No, I want to get it done and then forget about it."

Hudson looked at him sharply. He knew the boy wouldn't be forgetting this anytime soon.

"Anyway, I've nearly finished. They did the same thing the next day. That was when I planted the SOS. The day after, they gave me the file of a UEO agent. I refused, so they took me back to the room."

He lost his indifferent tone. He was almost whispering now.

"This time they left me there. I don't know how long I was in there that time, I think they'd given up on me. Things started to get...confused. I'd been having problems, on and off. Kept seeing things out of the corner of my eye. Sometimes I thought the walls were moving, and the people would..." He stopped and closed his eyes, remembering. Tony moved closer and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Luke? You okay?"

"Yes." He shook his head as if to clear it. "Where was I?"

"You were in the room, confused," Hudson volunteered, with no inflection at all.

Lucas didn't even notice. "This time it was worse. I was seeing people. Mostly the Captain, sometimes Tony and Dagwood. Sometimes Clay Marshall and Mason Freemen."

Tony stared at him, horror struck. He remembered how traumatized Lucas had been after Clay Marshall's attack.

"Hallucinations are a documented side effect of long term sleep depravation, and they were giving you mild hallucinogens on top of that. It must have been pretty scary," Doctor Perry told him gently.

He looked at her gratefully and nodded. "When they dragged me out the last time, everything was wrong."

Hudson leaned forward, partly out of interest and partly because Lucas' voice had dropped again. "Wrong? How?"

"Nothing seemed real. Their faces were wrong, distorted. They looked like B-movie monsters. And I couldn't understand what they were saying to me. Although, apparently, that wasn't the sleep depravation. I guessed they'd found my message, but I don't know what they said."

"They did some stuff, I don't really remember. I remember them breaking my leg, I remember the crack..." His voice trailed off.

They exchanged a look. Perry stood up. 'That's it, we're stopping now...'

He didn't hear her.

"Sam did it, he used a steel bar. I know I passed out, I remember the smelling salts. Although that might have been earlier... I'm not sure, because I the next thing I remember is waking up again in the room." He frowned in concentration. "The walls, they were showing...maybe I imagined that..."

Tony met Hudson's eyes. Hudson had heard that part. Lucas didn't notice, he just wanted to finish the story.

"I remember I'd been talking to Captain Bridger and Darwin. And then I saw Dagwood. But that time, it really was Dagwood. But I guess you know the rest."

Perry injected a syringe into his drip. He was white as a sheet and he had perspiration on his brow. She lowered his bed so that he was laying flat again, and she brushed the hair from his face. His forehead was hot to the touch.

"Alright, you've got what you needed, it's time to let him get some rest. You can sleep now, okay?"

He closed his eyes in answer. He was asleep almost instantly.


	13. Chapter 13

They filed out of the room and tore off their suits.

Tony was furious.

"Those bastards! He's just a kid, for Christ's sake! Who would do that to a kid?"

"They needed information, he had it. They were just following orders."

"Well it's bullshit!"

Perry intervened. "Do we know how long he was in that room?"

"Lonnie was able to download the files, I'm sure we have it on tape."

Tony looked at his captain incredulously. "You kidding me? You're gonna watch them do that to him?"

"Mr. Piccolo, we need to know what they asked him and what he said."

"He jus' told you!"

"And he didn't seem very sure about it."

"Well, next time we'll ask him to remember things better while he's bein' frickin' tortured! An' besides, why the heck d'ya need to make him go through all that if you're just gonna watch the freakin' tapes?"

"Mr. Piccolo, please remember who you're talking to. We needed to hear his version in case tapes aren't intact or are corrupted. We also needed to hear the story from the beginning."

"Captain Hudson, please register my objections with those of Mr. Piccolo. If you had access to information that would have made that interrogation unnecessary, then what you just did was needlessly cruel."

"Doctor Perry, I was just doing my job."

"And we can see what that can lead to, can't we?"

And with that she walked away.

* * *

After the interview, Lucas' fever started to spike. By the next morning he was burning up.

Tony came back to visit him with Dagwood. They found a nurse beside him wiping his forehead with a cloth. Lucas' eyes were wide and anxious, and he was shivering.

Tony looked worried. "Hey Buddy, you okay if we visit?"

"Not g..great company."

"That's okay."

Tony smiled at the nurse and took the cloth from her. She left the room while Tony and Dagwood sat down. Lucas tried to smile, but they could see it was an effort.

"H..hi Dagwood."

"Hello Lucas. You don't look good."

Lucas couldn't help a genuine smile at that. "Don't feel so good."

Suddenly, he stated to cough, deep, wracking coughs. He clutched his chest and tried to reach for a cloth. Tony grabbed one and held it to his mouth. Dagwood looked on in horror as blood coated the outside of the cloth.

Lucas lay back, shivering and fighting for breath. Tony reached up for the oxygen mask and placed it over his mouth. Within a few minutes he started to calm down again.

Dagwood could think of nothing to do to help him, so he reached out for Lucas' hand. To Tony's surprise, Lucas didn't push it away, but clutched it hard and held on to it like a life line.

Tony continued to wipe his friends forehead. He was sweating so much that Tony imagined he could feel the heat coming off Lucas even through his suit.

"You're gonna be okay, buddy, you're gonna be fine. We'll get you fixed up, don't worry."

He kept up a flow of positive words, very aware of how much less comforting they sounded when they were almost shouted.

For a little while, it seemed as though Lucas was dozing. Tony and Dagwood talked between themselves, not shouting, but loud enough for Lucas to be aware of a comforting murmur of sound.

After a little while he started to fidget. He let go of Dagwood's hand and pushed Tony's hand away from his forehead. He started to push back his sheets and tried to pull himself away from the bed.

"Luke?" He put a hand on Lucas' chest to push him back. "Luke, where d'ya think you're goin'?"

Luke shook off his hand again.

"Dagwood!"

Dagwood held Lucas in place while he tried to wriggle free.

"Luke, whatcha doin'?"

"Too hot, wanna get out of here. Too hot..."

"You gotta stay where you are, you gotta keep your leg still." Tony fished around and found the straps to restrain him. He buckled them in place.

"Let me go!"

Lucas tried to push them away as Tony ran for the intercom.

"Hey, we need some help in here!"

"You can't keep me here, I don't know anything! Why are you doing this?"

Tony realized where Lucas thought he was. "Lucas, you're on the seaQuest, you're with me and Dagwood!"

Wide, frightened eyes turned towards him and he seemed to recognize Tony again.

"Tony, they're hurting me!"

"They can't hurt you any more, Lucas, we won't let them, will we Dagwood?"

"No, Lucas, no-one's going to hurt you again."

The nurses finished putting on their suits and rushed in. At the same moment, Lucas started to cough again, but this time he couldn't stop. He was still being held by Dagwood as he lost consciousness.

Tony moved away from him as the nurses took over, and noticed Captain Hudson watching at the window. He signaled to Dagwood and they went out to meet him.

"I came to visit Mr. Wolenczak and see how he was doing."

"Not great, Sir. When will we be able to get the drugs he needs?"

"Hopefully, soon."

They watched him through the window.

"He thought he was back there."

"I know, Mr. Piccolo. I know."


	14. Chapter 14

Together they made their way to the ward room where the senior staff had gathered for their daily briefing.

Captain Hudson was apprising them of Lucas' condition and the circumstances of his imprisonment when the vidlink rang through. When the comm officer on duty patched it through and told him 'Captain Bridger, Sir', he picked it up immediately.

Bridger looked surprised to see them all gathered there.

"Hello everyone. Oliver, care to tell me why my dolphin came to find me and has been pestering me to contact you?"

"Yes, thank you for calling. We need some information from you."

"I can see that."

"When you sent your last transmission, you said that 'some of us didn't make it, and I lost someone very dear to me' - who did you mean? Who didn't make it?"

"Oliver, I don't want to talk about what happened, I just want to forget all about it. I thought I'd made that clear."

"That much was clear, yes. But I think you know that we wouldn't have gone to all this trouble if it wasn't important."

Bridger sighed.

"We lost seven crewmembers and three from senior staff. Seaman Mark Jones, Seaman George Travers, Seaman Killian Moran, Petty Officer Gregory MacMillan, Petty Officer Sandra Tyler, Warrant Officer William Trent and Nurse Helen Chambers. From the senior staff we lost Sensor Chief Miguel Ortiz, Lieutenant James Brody and Doctor Wendy Smith. I was very close to Wendy, losing her was...hard."

"I'm sorry. Thank you for giving us this information."

"Why was it so important? Why do you have to rake it all up again now?"

Hudson was annoyed. "Because this was information that we should have had four months ago! You should have made a written report for the UEO before you ran away this time!"

The others in the room lowered their heads, uncomfortable at being caught in the middle of a fight between the two captains.

"Why didn't you ask about Lucas Wolenczak before you left? I was told you were close."

"That's none of your business! You have no right..."

"No, YOU have no right! Lucas Wolenczak didn't return with the rest."

Captain Bridger froze. "What?"

"Lucas Wolenczak didn't return with the others. Because of you, we assumed that he had been killed on Hyperion."

Nathan Bridger thought about his words, and paled. "No..."

Commander Ford couldn't help but interrupt. "If he hadn't been killed, why didn't you ask to see him or speak to him? Why didn't you check that he was alright?"

"The Hyperions assured me that everyone had been returned safely. I just assumed..."

Lonnie snorted, and said in an undertone, "Well, we know what they say about that."

"So what happened? Where is he, is he okay?"

"We just found him. Because we all thought he was dead, we weren't looking for him. He sent out an SOS and we were able to rescue him."

"An SOS? Where was he?"

Hudson was not ready to let Bridger off the hook.

"He was in a Macronesian prison camp, and was then transferred to an interrogation facility."

Bridger paled. "Is he alright?"

"He's been starved, tortured, and kept in a room designed to break his mind. He's currently in quarantine with TB and a broken femur."

"Oh God...no..." Bridger dropped his head into his hands. "Where are you? I want to come and see him!"

"We're heading to New Cape Quest." Again, he couldn't help but let his annoyance show. "We need medical assistance."

"I can be there in two days, can you tell him I'm coming?"

Hudson paused. He had no desire to mollify Bridger's conscience by doing this, but the man was still a UEO captain, wherever he was currently.

"Very well, we'll see you when we get there."

* * *

Lucas' fever raged all the day and into the night. He drifted in and out, not recognizing where he was or who was with him. It didn't help that he was surrounded by people in hazmat suits and in an unfamiliar room. Most of the time, he was clearly terrified, trying to break away from his restraints and begging them to stop hurting him.

Doctor Perry and the rest of the medical staff felt a mixture of pity and horror as they saw his wide terrified eyes and listened to his pleas. It didn't help that while he lay there he looked so much younger. It was heartbreaking to hear those cries coming from someone who still looked so much like a child to them. They were relieved when his fever finally broke and he settled into sleep.

* * *

When Lucas woke in the early hours of the morning, he was surprised to find Commander Ford and Lonnie sitting in chairs beside his bed.

"Commander?" His throat was sore and his mouth was dry. He felt like he was rasping.

Ford looked up quickly. "Lucas!"

Lonnie moved over to the table and poured out some water, while Jonathon raised him so he could drink.

"Thanks."

He leaned his head back, he felt exhausted. He saw them looking at him with concern.

"I'm sorry, I'm just tired."

"You've been really sick, you had a fever." Lonnie brushed the hair from his forehead. "How are you feeling now?"

"Exhausted..."

"Then go back to sleep." She smiled at him, as Lucas closed his eyes and once again slept.


	15. Chapter 15

When Lucas woke up next, it took him a few minutes to peer through the suit and recognize the person sitting next to him.

"Tim?"

He was surprised. Although they were good friends, he knew what a germaphobe Tim was and how much it must be costing him to sit in that room with an infected person, hazmat suit or not.

He saw Tim's lips move, but couldn't hear anything. He shook his head and pointed to his ear. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you."

Tim tried to speak louder. He was always softly spoken and shouting was an ordeal for him. Yet another thing to make him uncomfortable.

"Hello Lucas. It's good to see you, I'm glad you're back."

"Me too. Feels different though."

"Yeah."

There was an awkward silence.

"What's Captain Hudson like?"

"Exactly like he seems." Tim's ominous words were matched by his grimace.

"Oh."

"He's very military, very official. Likes Tony though."

"What about you?"

"Not so much. I think I annoy him. He's more of a 'doer' than a 'thinker'."

"Oh."

Another awkward silence. Lucas was glad to see him, but he was obviously very uncomfortable with the situation. Lucas decided to speak plainly.

"Tim, it's good to see you, but you don't have to stay. I know you must be hating this."

"No, it's fine...I wanted to see you."

"I know, but I'll be out of here soon. You'll see me then, you don't have to be in here."

"But I wanted..." As Tim started to speak, the worst thing happened.

Lucas started to cough. He reached, but couldn't find the cloths beside his bed, which had been moved while he was ill. All he could do was turn his head and cough into the pillow. Blood splattered on the white cotton.

Tim jumped up and pushed himself against the far side of the room. He was clearly terrified.

Lucas turned to see his friend with a face as white as a sheet.

"Tim, go now before you pass out, okay?"

His friend nodded.

"And Tim..."

Tim turned.

"Thanks."

As Tim hurried out, Doctor Perry came in.

"Lucas, how are you feeling?"

"Gross." He indicated his pillow.

"Let me get you a fresh one." She placed the soiled pillow into a bin and pulled out a fresh one from a cupboard. As she raised his head, he started to cough again. She quickly grabbed a cloth and put it in front of his mouth.

The fit left him breathless and exhausted. He clutched his arms across his chest. The pain was agonizing.

Wordlessly, Doctor Perry handed him two painkillers and a glass of water. "Tony wanted to come and see you again later, would you like that?"

He felt guilty, wanting to see Tony after having such an awkward conversation with Tim, but Tony was easier. At least he didn't make him feel like a leper.

"Yes, thanks."

"I'll let him know." She paused, obviously uncomfortable about what she was going to say next. "Lucas? About the report you gave to Captain Hudson...would you like to talk about it?"

A chill ran down his spine that had nothing to do with his temperature. No, he didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to think about it ever again. He just wanted to forget everything that had happened and move on with his life.

"No. Thank you."

"I just want you to know that you can talk to me. If you want to."

He closed his eyes so he didn't have to watch her lips. She was speaking in a softer tone so he could block out what she was saying. He neither saw or heard her sigh and leave the room.

* * *

It seemed like only moments later that a hand shook his shoulder.

He opened his eyes again. "Tony! I thought you were coming later?"

"It is later. You've been asleep for hours, it's the afternoon already, I brought you lunch." He raised the bed, pulled a tray table across Lucas' lap and set down a mug of hot broth. "Drink up! How you feeling?"

Lucas shrugged, and reached for the cup.

"Stupid question, I guess, huh?"

"How's everyone else? Are they all here?"

"Yeah." Tony started to fill him in on the gossip.

"Ford and Henderson? No way!"

"I'm not kidding!"

Lucas laughed, which turned into a cough. It was a bad one, he couldn't seem to stop and he clutched his chest as he coughed. Tony pulled the table away and put his arm around Lucas' shoulders. When it was over, Lucas had tears running down his cheeks from the pain.

Tony wiped traces of blood from his friends mouth and then reached for another cloth to wipe the perspiration from his face. "You okay? Shall I get the doc?"

Lucas shook his head. "No, I'm okay. I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry, ya can't help bein' sick."

He said honestly, "I hate this. I hate being sick, I hate being in here. I just want everything to get back to normal again."

Tony was silent. He understood better than Lucas that things weren't going to 'get back to normal again'. Bridger had gone, and Hudson had no civilians on his boat. He'd made his opinions about that very clear. Even Dagwood was in uniform now. Tony and Dagwood were sharing his old room. Tony was a Warrant Officer, and training to be a sub fighter pilot.

Lucas saw the look on Tony's face and could guess what it meant. He changed the subject.

"Do you know anything about my parents?"

Tony didn't want to tell him that either.

"Tony, please!"

"Your father disappeared four years ago. I'm sorry Lucas."

Lucas' voice was a whisper. "How?"

"He was searching for a new site for World Power. He just...disappeared."

Lucas bit his lip. "And my mother?"

Tony tried to think of the right thing to say. "We haven't been able to reach her yet." He didn't mention that they'd left a dozen messages for her at home and at work, but he didn't have to.

"And I'm assuming you already know she won't care?" Lucas' tone was bitter, he had no illusions about his mother.

Tony said nothing. It was unanswerable.

"And the captain? Does he know?"

Tony knew who Lucas meant. To him, there was only one captain. Tony was glad to have happier news this time.

"Yes, he knows. He'll be meeting us at New Cape Quest, he wants to see you."

Lucas was quiet for a moment. "How do you know the others aren't alive? Wendy and Miguel and Jim?"

Tony spoke without thinking. "Bridger told us when we called him."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "How does he know?"

Tony realized his mistake. "Luke, we don't need to talk about all of this now, you should rest."

"Tony..."

Tony looked down at his friend. He looked very small and young lying there.

"Don't start lying to me now. Just tell me, please? You know I'll find out everything sooner or later."

"Later might be better."

"Tony..."

Tony sighed.

"Bridger still has his memories. From Hyperion. It was his idea for them to wipe the memories of the rest of us. He was the one who told us that we were returned to the last happy place we thought of. When we came back, he didn't return to seaQuest, he only spoke to us over the vidlink. He said he was relinquishing his command because he'd found his grandson, and because some people had died and he'd lost someone very special to him. Then he terminated the link and we didn't hear from him again. We all assumed that he meant he'd lost you, you hadn't come back. So, we all thought you were dead."

"He didn't try to contact me?"

Tony wished the earth would open up and swallow him. "No. Sorry Lucas."

Lucas closed his eyes for a moment, as if he wanted to shut everything out. He felt sick. "Why...'

He stopped. That wasn't a question for Tony. He changed his question to something else. "Why did you come to find me if you didn't know it was me?"

"The UEO was impressed with the computer message, they assumed it was a from a top agent. They wanted us to find him and return him to the UEO."

Lucas considered this. "So now what happens to me now?"

Tony was regretful. "Sorry kid. I don't know."


	16. Chapter 16

Later that afternoon, Captain Hudson held another briefing in the ward room. Doctor Perry had been asked to attend.

"Tomorrow we will be docking at New Cape Quest, where I have arranged for Mr. Wolenczak to be transferred to the UEO hospital there. Doctor Perry, will you be able to make arrangements for him to be safely transferred?"

She looked surprised. "We'll be leaving him there? Tomorrow?"

Now it was Hudson's turn to look surprised. "Did you think that he was going to stay here until he was fully recovered? That hardly seems like a practical solution. He'll need ongoing medical treatment and probably counseling, and the top brass will want to speak to him. I'm sure they have plans for him."

Tony's jaw dropped open. "Wait, what? We're jus' gonna leave him there?"

"Of course, Mr Piccolo. He'll receive better medical treatment than we can provide, and then he will no doubt need to convalesce. I imagine he'll be recovering for weeks, if not months."

Tony and Tim exchanged a glance. Tim knew it was a bad idea, but had to say something. "So we're going to leave him there like a stray dog at the pound?"

Hudson bristled. "Remember who you're talking to, Mr. O'Neill."

This time Lonnie spoke. "Yeah, we might leave you there too. Seems to be what we do with people we don't want."

Hudson turned angrily to face her, while Ford shushed her and intervened. "With respect Sir, I think we all hoped that he could stay on board while he recovered."

"Commander, do you realize what you're suggesting?"

"Yes Sir." He tried to keep the edge from his voice. "I'm suggesting that we look after one of our own."

Hudson flashed an angry look at him.

"We already abandoned him once, Sir. At least we could keep him for a little longer, he's only been back for three days. Some of us haven't even had time to talk to him yet."

"This is a military submarine, not a nursing home. The hospital is the best place for him at this time."

Tony flared up. "This is bullshit! After what he's been through! It was our fault, we shoulda known he was missing but we didn't, and because of that he went through hell for more than four months on his own! And now you want to dump him because he's sick because of us! It's bullshit!"

Freddy put a hand out to quiet him, but he pushed her away.

"Mr. Piccolo, stand down now!"

"No! This is wrong! If he gets left at that hospital, then I'm stayin' with him!"

"Then you will go to jail for desertion!"

"Fine! Save me waiting for you to dump my ass later on!"

"That's it!" Hudson pressed his comm. "Security to the ward room."

There was a moment of silence while Hudson and Tony glowered at each other and the others gaped at each other in disbelief. Security arrived.

"Please escort Mr. Piccolo to the brig. I will not tolerate disrespect on my boat!"

As the security team took his arms and started to lead him away, Lonnie stood up.

"Where are you going, Ms Henderson?"

"The brig, Sir. If that's where you're sending people who don't respect you, then I should go too."

At Hudson's incredulous look, she walked out behind Tony.

Tim scraped his chair back. "That goes for me too." He followed them out.

Doctor Perry also stood up.

"If you'll excuse me, at the moment I still have a patient to attend to." She flashed angry eyes at him. Even though she barely knew Lucas, she felt sorry for her patient, and from what she had heard, he had a right to expect more from them than this.

"Let me know what time we'll be getting rid of him tomorrow." She left the room.

Oliver Hudson couldn't remember the last time he had been this furious. He turned to Ford and Fredericks, who both looked stunned by what had happened. "Dismissed!"

They quickly left the room.

* * *

Captain Hudson couldn't believe what was happening on his boat.

Within a hour or so only a small skeleton staff were manning their stations. Almost everyone else had heard about the skirmish in the ward room and taken themselves to the brig.

There wasn't even enough room down there to house them all. People were sitting on floors, and the doors of the cells were open as they overflowed out into the hallway. There was barely room to move.

Every single member of the old crew was down there. Since that was all of the science techs (even on a military vessel, they still needed a small contingent) and the computer operators, most of engineering and maintenance, food service, communications and, of course, the bridge crew, the ship was at a standstill.

The only place that was still fully staffed was the medical facility, and they showed clearly whose side they were on.

Even many of the newer members sided with the original crew in this. You didn't leave a man behind.

Ever.


	17. Chapter 17

Lucas, the point of contention, hadn't heard of any of this.

After Tony's visit, Lucas had been told that he needed to move his leg to help it heal, and they helped him with a few exercises while lying on the bed. He was horrified that just that small amount of movement had tired him beyond belief. Consequently, still recuperating and exhausted, he had been out of it for most of the afternoon.

He thought it odd when he woke up that night and neither Tony or Dagwood came to see him, but assumed that they were working.

He was surprised to see Captain Hudson coming to see him, this time with a face like thunder. Before he came in, it looked like he exchanged angry words with one of the nurses.

Lucas swallowed and raised himself so he was sitting up. This didn't look like good news.

He could almost feel the waves of temper flying off the captain. It made him feel sick and nervous.

Hudson glared at him for a moment. Lucas had no idea what he had done.

"Captain?"

"Mr. Wolenczak." And then, in a cynical tone, "Lucas."

Hudson said his name as if it was an insult. Lucas felt sick and nervous. He waited. Whatever this was, he didn't feel ready to handle it.

"Tomorrow we will be docking at New Cape Quest. We will be transferring you to the UEO hospital there for further treatment."

"You're going to leave me there?"

"You are in need of prolonged medical attention and you are a civilian. You have no reason to be on this boat."

"But...I've lived here since I was fifteen."

Hudson was not in the mood to argue the point. "Mr. Wolenczak, that is really none of my concern."

Lucas' own temper now started to flare.

"I wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for the UEO! If it wasn't for the UEO and seaQuest, I wouldn't have lost ten years of my life and spent the past four months in enemy territory!"

"And before that you could have left at any time! You were eighteen years old when you disappeared, an adult. I refuse to be responsible for you!" He was shouting now, and didn't notice the effect that it was having on Lucas, who shrank back, eyes wide. "Everything that's happened to you since you came of age is your responsibility and your own fault!"

Lucas' reaction to those words was instant. His mind, still a little clouded from fever and exhaustion, suddenly flew back to the interrogation room. His wrists were chained above his head and Sam was holding an electrical charge to the small of his back. His body shook with the current as he screamed with pain, and above his screaming he could hear the Colonel yelling, 'THIS IS YOUR OWN FAULT MR. BRIDGES! YOU WON'T CO-OPERATE, SO THIS IS YOUR OWN FAULT!'

It had been a long time since Captain Hudson had been this angry, his temper was usually the cold, patient type. This time was different. His whole ship had mutinied because of this boy, and he couldn't remember ever being this furious.

So he didn't immediately notice the effect his shouting had on Lucas.

Lucas had retreated to another place in his mind. He no longer even saw Captain Hudson, he saw Sam and the colonel and the monsters. He only knew that he was in danger.

Hudson was in the midst of an angry tirade when he became aware that there was no longer any response from Lucas. He stopped, mid sentence, and realized what he was doing. He'd been yelling at a boy - still only a teenager - who'd been tortured as little as three days ago and was lying sick in quarantine.

He was suddenly worried. He'd been a soldier for most of his life, and he recognized the signs of PTSD.

Lucas sat frozen, his breathing loud and ragged and his eyes round with fear and very far away.

Hudson moved forward. "Lucas..."

Lucas seemed to snap back to life.

"Get away from me!" His voice was shrill with terror.

Hudson wasn't sure what to do, and decided on the worst thing. He took a step forward.

Lucas blanched in terror. He pulled the IV drip from his arm, and then, disastrously, pushed himself away from the advancing captain. He put all the weight on his good leg as he pushed himself away from the bed. Fear and adrenaline were coursing through him, and he didn't even notice the pain as his injured leg hit the floor.

He fell backwards, knocking over a table next to the wall. A tray of medical instruments fell out of a drawer and onto the floor, and his eyes fell on a scalpel. He grabbed it, and held it in front of him.

"Get away from me!" As he tried to push away, he found his movements hampered by the brace, and with his free hand he started to remove it. He didn't even notice the pain as he pulled it free.

Doctor Perry rushed in, sent for by the nurse who had tried to stop the captain. "What the hell is going on in here...?"

She stopped as she took in the scene. In a low tone that Lucas wouldn't hear, she asked, "What happened?"

"He started to flash back, pulled out his IV and pushed himself out of bed. He knocked over the table and found that." He gestured to the knife.

"What triggered it?"

Hudson had the grace to admit what he'd done. "I was angry, I started to yell at him."

She sent him a look of pure loathing, and then turned to Lucas.

"Lucas." He didn't look as if he'd even seen her. She tried again in a louder tone. "Lucas."

"Don't touch me! I don't know anything!" He sounded desperate.

Hudson moved forward, saying in a low tone. "He can't do that much damage with a scalpel."

Lucas saw the movement and seemed to reach the same conclusion. He moved the tip of the scalpel to his throat.

"I won't let you hurt me again!"

Hudson froze.

"Move back now!" Perry hissed.

They each took a few steps back. The scalpel wavered in Lucas' hand, but he moved it a little away from his throat.

"I don't know anything, why won't you believe me?" His voice was broken by a sob.

"We believe you," shouted Perry.

Lucas shook his head. Perry wasn't even sure that he heard her.

"Lucas..."

Perry saw a figure at the window. She moved slowly to the wall comm.

"Dagwood, come in here. Don't bother with a suit, just put on the gloves and get a mask for your face. Not one like this that covers your face, just an ordinary mask for your nose and mouth." She was gambling on the fact that daggers were designed to be stronger and had better immune systems. She slowly moved backwards and filled a glass with some water. She added a powder to it.

Dagwood nodded, and within a couple of minutes he was inside with them. His eyes went wide when he saw Lucas.

Lucas was staring at the tip of the scalpel. "I won't let you hurt me again," he said softly. He lifted the scalpel back to his neck, and Perry saw a spot of blood appear where the point met his skin.

"Dagwood, just talk to him. Try to calm him down. See if you can get him to drink this."

She watched Lucas on the floor. His eyes were still distant and confused. He hadn't seen her give Dagwood the water.

Dagwood took the glass and stepped forward. Lucas' eyes darted toward him as he moved, and Perry gasped as the scalpel pushed a little further in with the movement, but then he pulled it back. There seemed to be a spark of recognition.

"Lucas?"

Lucas watched him, uncertain.

"Lucas?"

He almost whispered in reply. "Dagwood?"

"Hello Lucas."

"Dagwood...what are you doing here?"

"I came to help you Lucas."

"You shouldn't be here, they'll hurt you." His eyes darted back to the suited figures. They took another step back.

"They won't hurt me, I won't let them. I won't let them hurt you anymore. Can I sit by you?"

Lucas watched him for a moment, then nodded. His eyes returned to Hudson and Perry.

The Dagger moved over and sat beside him. "I brought you some water, are you thirsty?"

Lucas nodded and reached out for the glass. He drank it gratefully. "Sometimes they won't give me water."

He seemed to be entirely focused on Dagwood now. "They're going to hurt me, Dagwood."

"I won't let them hurt you, Lucas."

Dagwood took the empty glass from his hand and reached to take the scalpel from the other. Lucas held it tighter for a moment, and then let Dagwood take it from him.

Dagwood moved closer and put his arm around his friend. He noticed that Lucas' eyes were starting to close. He pulled him closer, and made eye contact with the captain.

"I won't let anyone hurt you, Lucas."


	18. Chapter 18

When she was sure that Lucas was completely unconscious, Doctor Perry moved forward.

"Dagwood, lift him onto the bed."

She signaled for the rest of her medical team to come in.

"We need to get another x-ray, we've got to see if he did any damage to his leg. Someone, take Dagwood out of here and take care of him." She suddenly looked over at Dagwood. "Thank you Dagwood. We'll look after him, I promise."

Dagwood nodded and allowed himself to be led away.

She turned to Captain Hudson and said in a harsher tone, "Captain, I think you've done enough for today. It would be best if you left us to do our jobs."

* * *

He sat on the floor outside the med bay and put his head in his hands. It was a mess, and he had caused it. He sat there for an hour. Then he went back inside.

Dagwood, now properly dressed for quarantine, was sitting beside Lucas holding his hand as he slept. Doctor Perry was standing over him, thoughtfully brushing his hair away from his face. She saw the captain and left the room.

"How is he?"

"I put a sedative in the water, hopefully he'll be out for hours. He managed to wrench his leg, but there's no real damage. I've put him in traction, it'll help to reduce the pain and make it a little harder for him to move. I imagine it'll hurt like hell when he wakes up. I can't believe he didn't feel it at the time. I know he was pumped with adrenaline, but it must have been agonizing."

Hudson did something he rarely did. He apologized. "I'm sorry. I was angry and I wasn't thinking."

"We can agree on that. This could have ended very badly, do you know how easily we could have lost him? He was about to... if Dagwood hadn't come along when he did..." She couldn't even finish the sentence. She didn't want to think about how bad it could have been.

Hudson knew. He kept seeing the scalpel pressed against the boy's neck and the pearl of blood that had appeared at its point. "I know. I made a mistake."

"You've made a few at this point. Your crew is refusing to work for you, and because of you Lucas had an episode that almost caused him to end his life! I'd say that counts as making a mistake."

He gritted his teeth. "Let me know when he's waking up." He turned and left the room.

* * *

Hudson got the call early the next morning.

"He's waking up."

"I'll be right there."

Doctor Perry was already waiting by his bedside when he arrived.

"How is he?"

"I'm not sure yet, he's still not quite with us. Has a slight fever again, nothing too serious."

Hudson nodded and settled down to wait.

Lucas woke about ten minutes later. He looked groggy and confused.

"Captain Hudson?" His voice was rasping.

Doctor Perry poured out a glass of water and held it to his lips. He reached for it, and winced as he felt a stab of pain. He seemed to hurt everywhere, and the pain in his leg was excruciating. He noticed the traction. "What happened to my leg?"

Perry looked at him quizzically. "You don't remember?"

"Tony came to see me, we talked. Then...I think I fell asleep?" He sounded uncertain. "I feel like I slept forever, how long was I out?"

Hudson and Perry exchanged a glance.

"You slept for a while. I'm afraid you were a little restless and you wrenched your leg. Does it hurt?"

"Yeah, it's really bad. I have a headache as well, could you give me something?"

"Yes, of course. How bad, on a scale of one to ten?"

"Fifteen."

She handed him two pills and a glass of water, and placed a cool cloth on his forehead.

He leaned back into the pillows. "Thanks." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry Captain, I'm still really tired. Do you mind if I sleep? Just so tired..."

He looked at Hudson, who nodded. "Sure, get some sleep."

They left the room.

* * *

"What the hell was that about?"

"His mind is protecting itself, he's obviously blocked it."

"So he doesn't remember any of it?"

She sighed. "Let's hope."

Hudson was aware of feeling that he'd received a reprieve.

He'd spent the previous night thinking about the mess they were in. He shouldn't have blamed Lucas, the boy didn't even know that anything had happened. And yes, his crew had technically mutinied, but they had tried to reason with him first, and he should have been more aware of the strength of their feelings.

Lucas had been on the boat with most of them since he was fifteen, since her maiden voyage. He was one of them, and no-one liked to think they were serving with a captain that would leave them behind. It sent the wrong message. Just because he wasn't a soldier, it didn't mean that he wasn't one of their own. If it had been Freddy, for example, he would have done everything in his power to see that she was properly cared for, not just dumped her at some random port and sailed off into the distance.

So why did he expect them to do that for Lucas?

Probably because Lucas hadn't been with them - with him - at the start of this tour. Hudson didn't know him, and therefore didn't think of him as part of his crew. But they did, and they had made their feelings extremely clear.

He walked down to the brig.

* * *

A night spent sleeping on the cold floor of the brig hadn't made them feel any warmer towards their captain. There were people everywhere, spilling out into the hallway and leaning against the walls. He felt their hostility as he walked through them and approached Piccolo's cell.

Tony stood up and straightened his uniform as his captain stood before him. His expression was belligerent.

"Mr. Piccolo, Mr. Wolenczak had a bad night last night, you are dismissed from duty for the day so that you can sit with him."

Tony's expression was suddenly worried, and a silence fell over the room. "What happened? Is he sick?"

Hudson didn't want to share the story with everyone, so opted for, "He wrenched his leg, I believe it's quite painful. I can tell you the details later. Unless you intend to stay down here?"

Someone from the crowd called out, "We still dumping him at the next stop?"

There was silence as everyone waited for the answer.

"Mr. Wolenczak will be staying on board, as will the rest of you for the foreseeable future - the next shore leave is cancelled and you will all be working double shifts until I say otherwise. In addition, your pay will be docked by twenty five per cent for the next pay period. Now return to your duties."

Lonnie stood up and saluted. "Aye, Captain!" She squeezed Tony's arm. "Give Lucas my love, will you?'

They all chorused the salute and returned to work, smiling happily despite the punishment.

Tony rushed to leave, but Hudson signaled for him to stay back and follow behind the others.

"What happened?"

"He had a flashback. Pulled out his IV, jumped out of bed and removed his brace."

"Shit! He okay now?

"He's in pain, but doesn't remember a thing. Thinks he slept through the night. Doesn't remember anything after your visit."

Tony stopped and stared at Hudson. "You're joking."

"No. He has no idea what happened."


	19. Chapter 19

Lucas looked like he was sleeping when Tony went back in, but when he saw someone approach, he started and drew in a breath. Tony glanced at the window and saw Perry and Hudson frown in worry.

"Hey Lucas, it's just me."

Lucas relaxed.

"Who d'ya think it was?"

Lucas frowned in concentration. "I think I was having a dream. The colonel was back, but he was wearing one of those suits," he gestured to the hazmat suit.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No!" He panicked at the thought of it. "No. I just want to forget it. Can we talk about something else?"

"Sure." He cast around for something else to say, but Lucas didn't need to hear about what had been taking place on his behalf. He searched desperately for something else to say.

"You look like shit, wanna talk about that?"

Lucas laughed, and then started coughing.

Tony felt guilty. "Sorry."

"For what, making me laugh?"

"I guess."

"I'll be happy about anything that makes me laugh today."

"Why, what's up today?"

Lucas almost said nothing, but then replied. "I don't know, I just feel kind of tense." And scared, he wanted to add, but didn't.

"And you don't wanna talk?"

"No." He started picking at his nails nervously. Tony leaned forward and pulled his hands away. He noticed they were shaking, and again glanced towards the window. There was something they weren't telling him, something had happened while he'd been in the brig. He'd get to the bottom of it, but first he needed to calm his friend.

"Okay, so let me tell you about this poker game we had last week. Tim completely walked away with it! I mean what kind of a world is it where Tim O'Neill can kick my ass at poker?"

Hudson and Perry watched a while longer as they saw Lucas' shoulders relax. He even started to smile and comment on the story. Perry smiled as well.

"That was a good call. He's good at that."

"Hmm. Looks like Mr. Wolenczak hasn't forgotten everything though."

"No. But at least his friends will be here to help him through it."

* * *

Lucas' sleep that day was restless. He started having bad dreams, moaning and thrashing around. Tony sat beside him for most of the day and shook him gently every time he started to stir.

Tony remembered that when his little niece had bad dreams, he'd told her stories until she drifted off again; so he talked to him, and the sound of his voice had a calming effect on Lucas. Doctor Perry came in and sat beside him.

"You're good at that."

"Yeah, my niece used to have bad dreams, I'd tell her stories all night."

"Not these stories, I hope."

They exchanged a smile. Tony had been talking about some 'professional' girls they'd met at a bar a few months ago.

"Na, but I didn't want to be caught shouting Little Red Riding Hood, I have my reputation to protect! When we gonna do something about his hearing?"

"Well, as you know, we're a little behind schedule." They exchanged another smile. They were behind schedule because most of the crew spent yesterday in the brig. "But when we arrive at New Cape Quest, I've arranged for a friend of mine to come and see him. He's a specialist, so hopefully we can start to fix it, and until then, we can get him a hearing aid."

"Why's his hearing gone anyway? Was it that room?"

She nodded. "It's noise induced. The volume was too loud for too long. He's lucky he still has any hearing."

"Why's he suddenly flashing back?"

She looked uncomfortable. "It was going to surface eventually, probably best that it's now while he's here with us to keep an eye on him."

He wasn't going to be fobbed off without getting an answer. "But why now? Why'd it suddenly just happen last night?" His eyes widened as he made a connection. "Was it something to do with the Captain? 'Cause of what happened?"

When she made no answer, he knew he'd guessed correctly.

"Can you give him something to help?"

"Yes, there are drugs that can help, but I don't want him to become reliant on them. It would still be best if we could get him to talk about it. I know he doesn't want to, but he needs to."

"He talked to us about it that first day."

"No, he gave Hudson his report. That's different. He needs to talk about how it made him feel."

"Should I try to make him talk to me?"

"If he wants to, don't discourage him, but don't push him either. He needs one person in his corner that's just a friend. We don't want him to start viewing you as someone he needs to avoid."

Lucas started to mumble again, and suddenly opened his eyes. He froze for a moment in panic, seeing the figures in the suits, and then relaxed as Tony said, "Hey buddy, I was starting to wonder if you were gonna sleep the clock around!"

Lucas rubbed his eyes. "How long have I been sleeping?"

Perry stood up. "It's the afternoon already, I'll get you something to eat."

He made a face. "I'm not really hungry."

"Funny, now it seems like it's my hearing that's not working. I'll get you something to eat."

"How ya feelin'?"

"My leg hurts. And I'm still really tired."

"Then you should sleep some more. But eat first, okay Buddy?"


	20. Chapter 20

When he woke up next, he was surprised to find Captain Hudson reading a book beside his bed. He didn't know why the captain's presence made him feel so nervous, but his mouth was dry and he felt slightly sick. He tried to relax, and peered at the title - 'Two Years Before the Mast'.

Hudson looked at him over the top of the book. "Do you know it?"

Lucas nodded. "One of the professors recommended it when I was at university."

"When you were how old?"

"Fourteen."

"Did you like it?"

"The book, or being at Stanford at fourteen?"

"The book."

"Yes."

"I must have been about that age the first time I read it. How are you feeling?"

"Tired of that question."

He didn't know why this man made him feel so antagonistic. He couldn't seem to help himself. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm being so rude."

"You expected to come back to everything the way it was and everything's different. Captain Bridger has gone, and I'm here in his place." In a rare moment of insight and humor, he added, "I'm the wicked stepfather taking his place."

Lucas nodded.

"I was waiting for him. I thought he'd be here, tearing the world apart to find me. Turns out he didn't even notice I was gone." His voice hitched as he spoke. He turned his eyes towards Hudson. "I feel like a fool."

"You figured out how to get back on your own. Turns out, you didn't need his help. Not such a fool after all."

"I guess." There was a pause. "Why are you here? More questions?"

Hudson sighed. "Mr. Wolenczak, I needed to ask those questions..."

Lucas shook his head. "No, I know. I didn't mean it like that. I meant...why are you here?"

"Mr Piccolo seems to be down here constantly. Thought I'd see what the appeal was."

"And?"

He gestured to the chair and the book. "Well, it is a quiet place to read."

Lucas surprised himself by laughing. "You're the captain. You can order people to leave you alone."

"If only it were that easy."

"Still, they might think it a bit drastic if they discover you hiding in quarantine."

This time it was Hudson that smiled. It died on his lips as Lucas started to cough. As he reached out, the captain handed him a cloth. After a few minutes, he lay back gasping. Hudson placed the oxygen mask over his face.

Hudson took the soiled cloth out of his hand and threw it away as Doctor Perry came in.

"Lucas, how are you feeling?"

He met Hudson's eye and gave a wry smile. He was still fighting for his breath, so he just nodded. She started checking his temperature and pulse.

"Well, you're looking brighter."

He moved the mask from his face. "Feeling better."

"Good!" She looked at the captain suspiciously. "What are you two discussing?"

Lucas exchanged a look with the captain. "Books."

They shared a small smile.

Lucas found his eyes starting to close, and tried to keep them open.

"You should go ahead and sleep when you're tired, Lucas."

"I'm always tired now..." He voice was slurring with sleep.

"Then you should sleep more."

She pulled the covers straight and placed a cloth near his hand. He was already asleep again.

"You two seemed to be getting along well." She couldn't help but sound surprised.

"Turns out, we have a few things in common after all. Why is he so tired?"

She sat down next to him. "Sleep depravation, fever, malnutrition, TB, mild infection, pain management, take your pick. His body is exhausted. He's like a battery that's been depleted. He needs to recharge."

"When will he start to improve?"

"Things will be better once we can manage the TB, but he's got a long road ahead of him."

Hudson nodded.

"I didn't get a chance to tell him that he'll be seeing Captain Bridger tomorrow, if he wakes again, could you let him know?"

"Yes, of course."

"And, give him this." He handed her the book. At her look, he grumbled, "It's not like I can take it out of quarantine anyway."


	21. Chapter 21

The next day they reached New Cape Quest, where Nathan Bridger was waiting impatiently to board.

"Where have you guys been? I got here early, I've been waiting for you."

Oliver Hudson scowled. "We're here now."

"Where is he, can I see him?"

"He's in quarantine, but the doctor wants to see you first. She's in her office."

They walked along in silence. Hudson couldn't help but feel that Bridger was a big part of why they were in this mess. For his part, Bridger agreed.

Why had he not been more clear when he told them he was leaving? He could see - easily - how this had happened, and he was ashamed of himself and horrified at what his thoughtlessness had led to.

"Captain Bridger, Doctor Perry."

Her cool, slightly disapproving look told Bridger that she, too, believed him at least partially responsible for this mess.

"I wanted to fill you in on his medical condition."

Bridger nodded and sat down.

"He's been beaten, starved and tortured. He was kept in a loud room filled with video screens and an electric current running through the floor to keep him awake constantly. His femur was broken by a man with a steel bar, and he has a virulent new strain of TB. Our biggest concern right now, however, is that he's currently experiencing PTSD. He gave us a report, but he hasn't talked to anyone beyond that. He's bottling it up inside, and he needs to talk to someone. I'm hoping that could be you?" She phrased it as a question.

He nodded. "Yes. Yes, of course. I'll do my best."

She thawed slightly. "Thank you. If you're ready, I'll take you in."

Again Bridger nodded. He couldn't believe it when he was handed a hazmat suit. "Is this really necessary?"

Doctor Perry had also been getting very little sleep lately and was in no mood to hear criticism. "No, we just do it to torment the boy!"

Captain Hudson allowed himself a smile.

"We're living in a closed environment. This is a mutated virulent strain of tuberculosis, do you know how easily a disease like this could spread in here?"

Bridger looked shamefaced. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry."

They stepped inside, and Captain Bridger drew in a breath.

Lucas lay restlessly on the bed, mumbling incoherently in his sleep. His face was swollen around his eye, jaw and cheek, and multi-colored with bruises.

He was painfully thin. His arms were like sticks, both of them bandaged at the wrists and one wrapped at the elbow. His leg was bandaged and encased in a brace, and seemed to be suspended in traction. Captain Bridger decided that Doctor Perry's abbreviated version of Lucas' injuries hadn't gone far enough to prepare him for the boy's appearance.

Doctor Perry moved forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. He woke with a start, his eyes at once wide and terrified. It took him a minute to steady his breathing. Doctor Perry spoke loudly but gently.

"Sorry, Lucas, but you have visitor." She raised the head of the bed for him. His eyes moved to the others in the room. They widened when they found Captain Bridger.

"Captain?"

"Hello Lucas."

He saw him frown. Doctor Perry muttered in an undertone, "Louder, his hearing was damaged."

Bridger looked startled, but spoke again in a louder voice. "Hello Lucas." He sat beside him. "How are feeling, kiddo?"

Lucas opened his mouth to speak, and couldn't find any words. Tears started to rundown his cheeks.

Bridger rushed forward and hugged him so tightly that he gasped.

Perry spoke in an undertone, "He has cuts on his back."

The captain loosened his grip and moved his arms slightly, but continued to hold him.

"I'm sorry, kiddo, I'm so sorry," he repeated over and over, as he held him close and rocked him as he sobbed in his arms. Doctor Perry left them alone.

They broke apart when Lucas started to cough. He reached beside him and grabbed a cloth. Bridger was horrified when Lucas drew it back from his mouth stained with blood. Although he had been told that Lucas had TB, he hadn't realized that it had progressed to this level.

Lucas laid his head back on the pillow, exhausted.

Bridger leaned forward and wiped away a little blood from his mouth. He brushed the hair from his face and moved his chair beside him, pulling him closer. He wished that he could hold him without the suit coming between them.

"What happened, Lucas?"

"Didn't they tell you?"

"A little. But I want to hear it from you."

Lucas shook his head.

"Lucas!"

"I made my report, I don't want to talk about it again."

"Doesn't matter, kiddo. A report is different. You need to talk about it, you need to tell me what happened."

"I can't!"

Bridger took the boy's chin in his hand and made him look him in the eye. "Yes you can! You've done harder things than this in your life!"

Lucas shook his head.

"You've never taken the easy road, why would you start now? Graduating from High school at 13 wasn't easy, neither was going to Stanford and graduating at 15. Coming onto seaQuest wasn't easy, but you did it and you made a place for yourself here. And all the things you've done since being here - were any of them easy? Was it easy to fight terrorists? Mason Freeman? Clay Marshall? Was it easy to go back and save Marcus Rawlins? No, of course it wasn't. But you did it anyway. And you can do this now."

Lucas opened his mouth to say he couldn't, but surprised himself by saying, "I woke up on that beach in Bali. You know, where we found the dolphins..."

It was a hard story to tell, and there were parts of it he thought he'd never get through; just as there were parts that he couldn't tell because he really couldn't remember or because reality had started to slip for him by then. When he got to some of the harder parts of the story, he found himself skipping over a lot of it because he knew it would upset the captain.

And then they reached the moment that they both knew was coming; when Lucas raised his eyes to his captain's and asked, "Why didn't you ask to see me? When we came back, why didn't you ask about me then?"

Bridger looked away from him in shame.

"I'd dragged you all to a war on another planet, and you lost ten years of your lives. People died. I thought you must all hate me, I hated myself for it. The Hyperions told me that everyone had been returned safely, so when I didn't hear from you I assumed that you blamed me too."

"I would have given anything to be back here with you. It was the only thing I held on to, that you were out there somewhere looking for me. All that time, I believed in you. And after all that, it was just luck that it was the seaQuest that came for me. No-one was trying to find me, they all believed I was dead. Because of what you'd said."

Now his eyes were accusatory. He'd suffered for so long because of a stupid misunderstanding. He couldn't help it, he was angry.

"I know. Saying I'm sorry just doesn't seem to cover it, but I am. I didn't think, it's as simple as that. I should have made a full report and given them the names, but I was grieving for Wendy and feeling sorry for myself. I didn't consider the consequences of that. I've been thinking ever since that the families involved had right to expect something more from me, and I let you all down. I ran away again."

Lucas thought about it as he listened.

If he was honest, he knew that about the captain. He retreated when things got tough. He did it when Robert died, he did it when Carol died and now he'd done it again. He loved the captain; he would always love this man who had made him feel loved when he so desperately needed it, but now that he was older, he understood him better.

For someone who had just encouraged him to talk about the hardest experience of his life, Captain Bridger didn't like to face his demons.

And because of that, Lucas had suffered more than he needed to. If they had realized at the beginning that Lucas hadn't died, he had to believe they would have looked for him. And he'd left clues for them, like his name. Nate Bridges, a variation of the first name that always came to him when he was in trouble. The Macronesians liked to keep records, any decent hacker could have found him.

He sighed and leaned his head back on the pillow.

He suddenly felt drained. It seemed like too much to handle in one day. He had relived with Bridger at least some of the terrible things that had happened to him, confronted the captain about his own part in the mess, and then been hit by the revelation of what sort of person the captain really was.

While he'd been talking he'd felt all of the emotions he'd described - confusion, fear, hope, terror, hopelessness, anger. He couldn't feel any more today.

"Captain, I'm sorry, I'm really tired. Do you mind if I sleep?" Even as he spoke, he felt himself drifting away.

He didn't even hear Bridger saying, 'Sleep well, kiddo. Sleep well."


	22. Chapter 22

When Lucas next woke up, he felt restless and jittery.

Confiding in Bridger had not led to the catharsis he had hoped for, perhaps because of Bridger's part in it and his guilt, although he did feel better having told the story to someone. It just hadn't been the right someone. He hadn't told the captain the whole story to spare his feelings, and he felt that Bridger wanted his forgiveness when he wasn't ready to give it or to deal with someone else's feelings. He wanted to be allowed to feel what he felt, without trying to make someone else feel better about their part in it. He wanted a simple acknowledgment of the fact that he had been wronged, not an unsatisfactory explanation of why.

He pressed the buzzer for the nurse. Doctor Perry came instead.

"Lucas, how are you feeling?" It seemed to be the standard greeting anymore. He ignored it.

"When do I have to meet with your friend for the hearing test?" He wanted to talk to Tony, and was hoping he'd have time to see him first.

"He's here now, we were just waiting for you to wake up."

"Oh! Sorry."

"Not a problem, we were catching up. Haven't seen each other for a while, it was nice to talk. Anyway, before you see him...," she held out a handful of pills, "I have something you've been waiting for!"

Lucas immediately brightened. "The TB meds?"

"Yes! They finally arrived. We also got the vaccines, so once they've been given to everybody we can lose the hazmat suits and you can see us properly."

He grinned. "I'd like that." His smile faltered. He didn't know why, but he'd started to have bad dreams about the colonel and Sam wearing those suits, sometimes with monster faces. He shivered as he remembered.

Doctor Perry looked at him in concern. "Lucas, what's wrong?"

"Nothing! I'm fine."

She didn't trust his overly bright smile and unconvincing assurance. "Is there something you'd like to talk about?"

He thought for a moment. He liked Doctor Perry, but he didn't know her well enough yet to really talk to her. "No. Thanks."

"Okay. If you change your mind..."

He smiled again, a genuine one this time. "Then I know where you are."

She handed the pills to Lucas with a glass of water, and he swallowed them down quickly. "Ready?"

He nodded, and she disappeared for a few minutes, returning with a small balding man in glasses.

"Lucas, this is Doctor Wallace."

"Hello Doctor."

"Hello Lucas! I'm going to run a few tests, and then we'll see what's going on. You'll have to bear with me if I seem a little slow, I'm not used to setting up my equipment with this get-up on!" He gestured to the suit.

Lucas looked guilty. "I'm sorry."

"Hardly your fault, my boy, hardly your fault! But if your good doctor here could give me a hand?" They exchanged a smile, and she moved forward to help.

"Sorry, William."

Lucas looked surprised. "William Wallace?"

"I know, I know. I really don't think my parents considered that I might grow up to be a five foot one bespectacled otologist. Don't really live up to the name, do I?"

They worked for a while as he ran the tests, and, after what felt like a million questions, he fitted Lucas with two small hearing aids.

"How's that?"

Lucas smiled. "It's great, I can hear again! You're speaking normally?" He just wanted to double check.

"Yes, quite normally."

Lucas allowed himself a moment of relief before asking the next question. "Will I have to wear these forever?" He tried to sound merely curious, but his voice slipped a little at the word 'forever'. He was grateful not to be completely deaf, and happy that the hearing aids gave him normal hearing again, but still...

Doctor Wallace patted his hand. "Hopefully not. Doctor Perry was right, you have noise induced hearing loss. There tiny little hair cells in your ear that are necessary for hearing. I'm afraid that yours have been badly damaged, and they don't grow back naturally. However, fortunately for you there have been great advances in this field over the past few years, and we now stand a good chance of re-growing those cells and repairing the damage. It's going to take a while, and during that time it would be best if you could avoid excessive noise - no loud machinery or rock concerts! - but I think you have a pretty good chance of getting your hearing back completely."

Despite his determination to appear nonchalant, at these words he lay back in relief. He exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome, young man." He saw the weariness on the boy's face despite the smile, and turned to Doctor Perry. "And now, if you can help me dismantle my equipment, I believe you promised me dinner!"


	23. Chapter 23

Lucas was once again exhausted, but when he lay down to try to sleep, he found he couldn't. His mind wouldn't switch off, and he kept seeing those nightmare figures in hazmat suits. He pressed the button next to his bed.

To his surprise, Doctor Perry came in. He stared at her in shock for a moment, and realized what was different. Without thinking, he said, "No scary suit?"

She smiled at him for a moment, and then realized what he'd said. She frowned. "Scary?"

He knew it was too late to backtrack. Looking shamefaced, he admitted, "It's nothing, just some dumb dreams I've been having..."

She sat next to him. "Go on."

"It's not important."

"Lucas, please. Just tell me."

He swallowed, and started to pick at his sheets. "I keep seeing the colonel and Sam, but they're here in the hazmat suits and they're screaming at me. That's all." He looked up, a little defiant. "I told you it was stupid."

She felt a little sick. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this was the fallout from his altercation with Captain Hudson. He may say that he couldn't remember, but it was clear that his subconscious was keeping it fresh in his mind, playing it over and over again. She needed to talk to Hudson and get this cleared up once and for all.

"It's not stupid. You need to let us know these things so we can help you. Is that the problem tonight?" She'd seen how restless his attempt to sleep had been. "Do you need something to help you sleep?"

He looked uncertain.

"I don't know...maybe." He frowned. "Doctor, can I see Tony? Is he working right now?"

He no longer had any sense of what time it was, or when Tony was working.

She was looking at him curiously. She knew that he and Bridger had talked, but he didn't seem much better for it. She had a sense that this was important. She nodded. It didn't even matter if he was working, she would pull him away for this. "I'll get him."

* * *

Tony was working the night shift, and Hudson did not look happy when she asked for Tony to be pulled off duty, but let he him go without complaint.

Like the doctor, he was amongst the first to be vaccinated, and for the first time didn't have to put on a suit to visit his friend. He looked at him with concern. He had been worried when he was pulled off duty, and Lucas seemed tense and nervous.

"Hey buddy, what's up?"

"Do you have some time to talk?"

Well, he thought wryly, I do now. He sat down.

"Sure. Whatcha need?"

"I just...I was talking to the captain...Captain Bridger, I mean. And it helped, I guess. But..." He trailed off. He wasn't even sure himself what he was trying to say.

"But?"

"But...I guess he's too involved. I couldn't tell him everything, I didn't want him to get upset. He already feels so guilty, and he wants me to tell him it's alright now, and I don't want to be told how to think or what I should feel! I just...I think I just want to talk to someone that didn't have anything to do with it."

Tony's eyes widened slightly. He was glad that Lucas wanted to confide in him, he just hadn't expected it. He saw how tense Lucas was, and how nervous he seemed by all of this.

Well, lucky he was there then. He stood up and grabbed another chair and a pillow. Lucas watched curiously, and then grinned as his friend put the pillow against his back and put his feet up on the other chair.

"Sorry, Luke, these are not designed for long term comfort. Okay, shoot."

For the second time that day, he told his story, but this time, he told it all.

Not as he told it the first time, clinical and factual, but slow and halting. He told Tony how it felt and what he thought. Here and there, Tony's lips tightened, and once or twice he asked Lucas to pause for a moment while he got control of himself. Halfway through, he kicked away the second chair and moved closer to the bed. When Lucas' voice started to falter, he would lean over and squeeze his shoulder.

When the story ended, there was silence.

Lucas seemed to be studying his friend for a reaction. Would he think less of him for how he acted? He had admitted to all the things they had done to him, that he hadn't been able to stop, and his voice had broken a few times during the telling of the story. Would Tony think he was weak? That he should have fought harder? That he shouldn't have given in and helped them? Did he think that Lucas was weak now, for letting his emotions show while he told the story? Even now, he could feel his chest hitching with the effort of holding himself together.

"Tony?" He tried to keep his voice steady.

Tony tried to find the right words. Tact had never been something he possessed, and it was so important now not to say the wrong thing.

So for once, he said nothing.

He moved from his chair and motioned for Lucas to move over in the bed (a little hard to do, with his leg in held in traction, but he was able to move a little), and then he climbed on top of the sheets next to him and hugged his friend. Lucas resisted at first, but then couldn't hold it back any longer. He held onto his friend, and cried for all that had happened.

This was the cathartic moment Lucas needed. No explanations, no excuses, no trite platitudes about what had happened.

Just friendship.


	24. Chapter 24

Lucas was sleeping when Bridger came back to see him the next morning. He sat beside the bed and waited.

After a little while, Lucas turned bleary eyes on him.

"Captain?"

"Hey, sleepyhead."

"Sorry. I seem to be sleeping all the time these days."

"It's good for you, you need it."

"Yeah, I guess." He fumbled for the button to adjust the bed, as Bridger leaned forward and raised it for him.

"Thanks. Oh, wait." He turned to the table beside him and picked up two little devices and placed them in his ears. He grinned at the captain. "I can hear again!"

Bridger smiled back. "Hey, that's great news!"

"Yeah. Feels good. And he said they'll probably be able to fix it properly in a few months."

"I'm glad."

There was a silence for a few moments, which was broken by Lucas coughing. He grabbed a cloth and hugged his ribs.

Bridger looked on, worried. "Have they started giving you the TB meds yet?"

"Yeah, I started them yesterday."

"Good."

There was another pause.

The captain looked at him. He looked terrible.

"Lucas, what are you going to do?"

Lucas looked down and frowned. "I don't know."

"You could come and stay with Michael and me."

Surprisingly, Lucas found himself conflicted. Things were awkward between the two of them, but it wasn't just that.

He liked being back on the seaQuest. He was happy to be amongst his friends again. More than anything, he was worried that if he left again, he wouldn't be allowed to come back.

Bridger watched him closely, and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "No?"

Lucas was also surprised by his reluctance. For years, he had dreamed of living with the Captain as a father and son, imagining what it would be like to feel so loved, so included. But now things were different. Bridger had family now, real family. Not just a stray he'd picked up along the way - blood. And with everything that had happened, he couldn't help but feel that he'd already been forgotten and abandoned once. He wasn't ready to set himself up for that again.

Lucas realized that he needed to say something. "Sorry. I hadn't thought...I'm not sure..."

Bridger held out a hand. "Hey, calm down. It's okay! You don't have to decide now. I know there's a lot going on for you right now, just think about it, okay?"

"Okay, thanks."

They talked for a while longer. Bridger told him all about Michael, and told him about the changes that had taken place in the world since they'd been gone.

Lucas started to think about his future.

He was very aware that ten years had passed him by, and that he no longer had parents to go to. When they finally reached his mother to let her know that he was still alive, she had made it clear that she wasn't interested in continuing the relationship.

He wanted something permanent. Something that was his.

And he loved being back on the seaQuest. He loved the familiarity of a place that felt more like home than any home he'd ever had. It was the only home that he had known since he was fifteen, and he liked being back with his friends. So much had changed that it seemed like the only constant in his life.

He started to think about what staying would entail. He decided to talk to Captain Hudson the next time he saw him.

* * *

Captain Hudson came to see him that afternoon.

"Mr. Wolenczak, you're looking better."

"Thank you, Sir. I'm feeling better." He hesitated for a moment, and then continued. "Captain, may I talk to you for a moment?"

Hudson nodded, and sat down. "Actually, I wanted to speak to you about something."

"Can I go first?'

Hudson nodded, and waited.

"What's going to happen to me?"

Friends of Oliver Hudson had never decided whether his honesty was his best or worst trait.

"I don't know."

"Can I stay on the seaQuest?"

Hudson frowned. "Mr. Wolenczak, while I am sure that with your skills you would be an asset to my crew, I will not have civilians on my boat."

"What if I wasn't a civilian?"

"Excuse me?"

"What if I decided to enlist? Could I stay?"

Hudson looked thoughtful. "The UEO is very interested in persuading to use your skills for their benefit, but I think they'd prefer it if you were based in an office somewhere."

"I don't want to work for the UEO if I can't stay on the seaQuest." And then, sounding very young, "It's my home."

Hudson considered for a minute. He would like to have this boy working for him on the seaQuest. All those systems that were currently working at seventy per cent efficiency, and no-one could figure out how to improve them. Lucas Wolenczak knew this boat better than anyone alive. Hudson wanted the seaQuest, but at the peak of it's powers.

"I think we could work something out." Oliver Hudson smiled. His smile fell as he remembered what he wanted to talk to him about.

"Mr. Wolenczak, before we go any further, I need to tell you something."

Lucas was worried. This man still made him nervous, and whatever he was about to say didn't sound good.

"Do you remember waking up with your leg in traction?"

Lucas nodded.

"And do you still not remember how that happened?"

"No." Even as he spoke, he frowned. He remembered something, something vague and confused, something that made him feel afraid.

"You don't sound sure..."

Lucas shook his head, though more as if to clear it than in denial.

"We had...a situation on board. I was angry. I'm afraid...I shouted at you. It triggered a flashback."

Lucas' eyes widened and he shrank back from him. "No..."

Hudson watched him carefully. "You reacted badly."

"No..." Lucas' mind suddenly started to fill with images...being scared...Hudson yelling, and turning into a cartoon monster, and then it was all disjointed...he remembered being on the floor and holding something...a knife? "Did I have a knife?"

"You knocked over a table as you fell out of bed and found a scalpel."

"Did I hurt anyone?"

Hudson paused, unsure how much he needed to know. He felt that the boy wouldn't like to know what he had threatened.

"No. Dagwood came in and talked to you, and we were able to give you something to help you sleep."

Lucas tried to make sense of it in his mind. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Doctor Perry said that it's surfacing subliminally. You need to know what happened so you can process it. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

He closed his eyes and tried to marshal his thoughts. All those dreams he'd been having, they finally had some context. The monsters in hazmat suits, they were all just Captain Hudson. He found that he actually felt better for knowing; he had some context.

"Thank you for telling me."

"Does it help?"

Lucas thought for a long moment.

"Yes. I think it does."


	25. Chapter 25

It was a hard conversation when Lucas told Captain Bridger about his decision.

Captain Bridger had not been happy to hear that Lucas was signing up to join the UEO, but could recognize that he had to accept a certain amount of responsibility. It was because of him (albeit indirectly, via Bill Noyce) that Lucas was on board in the first place. Lucas had been the bait to lure Bridger out of retirement. And it was because of him that Lucas had become used to working for the UEO. He may not have worn a uniform, but he had still worked his shifts and taken his leave like everybody else. And it was because of Bridger (and for this he felt the most guilt) that Lucas had been so happy there that he couldn't see a life for himself anywhere else.

The captain was aware that he had let the boy down, and that something had shifted in their relationship. Lucas couldn't trust him anymore, he couldn't feel safe with him. But ironically, he still felt safe with the seaQuest, so he would do anything to stay.

But he also recognized that it wasn't just a selfish thing. Lucas had told him about all the people imprisoned in the camp, and how they had desperately hoped for rescue. They had been rescued and so had Lucas, and now Lucas wanted to pay it forward.

He knew he wouldn't have to worry for some time. It would still be another two to three weeks before he was even allowed out of quarantine, and then it would be months before Lucas' health would be improved enough for him to be on any kind of active duty. He would be using crutches to get around for the next few months until his leg healed, and would have to continue taking his TB medications during that time. He would also have to attend some mandatory counseling sessions to help him cope with everything that had happened.

Bridger was delighted when Lucas asked if he could stay with him until he was fit for duty, and hopefully the healing between the two of them could begin.

* * *

The next few weeks were a whirlwind for Lucas, as everyone who hadn't had time to visit him yet now took the opportunity. A number of them also brought computer problems that he was very happy to deal with. He was delighted when he found that Ford and Piccolo had saved his laptop, so he was able to work while in quarantine. It didn't make Doctor Perry very happy, but it actually earned him a smile from Captain Hudson.

After a week, Captain Bridger returned to his home. He couldn't leave Michael with the nanny any longer, and he had to make some preparations for Lucas' visit. He'd have to move a bed downstairs for a start, and he wanted to get in all of Lucas' favorite foods that he'd so far been unable to enjoy. The new, military seaQuest didn't have a huge selection of junk food and candy on board, and though the captain would make sure that Lucas would have his nutritional needs met, he was also going to indulge him as much as possible while he was there.

* * *

When he was finally released from quarantine, Bridger returned to collect him and they traveled back together.

The weeks of sunshine and solitude did wonders for him, as did the counseling that he went through twice a week.

He realized when he talked first to Bridger and then to Tony that demons were easier to face when brought out into the open, and his nightmares started to lessen. He still had bad moments - he would for a long time to come - but he was learning how to deal with them.

He complained that the captain was feeding him up like a veal calf, although Bridger maintained that he'd still be considered to scrawny to eat. He was putting on weight, but his eating habits had never been good and he naturally had a slim figure.

His hearing began to improve until he could finally stop using the hearing aids. It would still take a little time to return completely to normal, but at least he could hear most sounds now.

He and Bridger spent a lot of time talking, and they managed to repair their relationship to the extent that Lucas promised to think of the captain's home as his own, and return there whenever he wanted.

The day came when Lucas had recovered sufficiently, and was finally cleared for light duties and told he could return to the seaQuest.

* * *

Tony and the others were delighted to hear that Lucas would be coming back.

A few days before his return, Captain Hudson was surprised to find Tony and Dagwood at his door.

"Gentlemen, how can I help you?"

"We was wonderin' if we could return to our old sleeping arrangements when Luke gets back? Dagwood said he'd be happy to go back to his old bed, and that way Luke could come back to his old room. He'll need someone to keep an eye on him and show him the ropes."

"Dagwood, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes Captain. I liked where I was before, and Lucas would like to be back in his old room again."

Hudson sighed. "Very well. Anything else?"

"No Sir! Permission to go and start getting it sorted?"

"Permission granted. Dismissed."

* * *

Two weeks later, Captain Hudson met Lucas at the docking bay with Tony and Dagwood.

He walked with a slight limp, and to Tony's eyes he looked a lifetime away from the kid he'd known on the last tour - he was still horribly thin and extremely pale, despite the months of food and sunshine - but Tony thought he was the best thing he'd seen in a long time.

Captain Hudson stepped forward. "Mr. Wolenczak, welcome aboard!"

They shook hands, and then Tony and Dagwood moved forward to hug him.

"Hey stranger, welcome back! Ready to see your quarters?"

Lucas looked at Hudson, who nodded. His friends led him away.

No-one had told him about his room, and he assumed that Tony and Dagwood would continue to share. He didn't even know where they were going to take him, and followed them as they filled him in on everything he'd missed while he'd been recovering.

He soon realized they were heading in a familiar direction.

"Hey, mind if we swing by our room first?"

Lucas desperately wanted to see his old room again, even if it wasn't his room anymore.

"Sure, no problem."

Even though he'd been declared fit, he still had a few problems getting up and down steps. It took him a minute or so to get into the room, and he stood holding the stair rail for a few seconds while he caught his breath.

"Hey Luke, ain't ya gonna tell us what you think of our decor?"

Lucas brushed his hair from his face. "Yeah, sure. Sorry." He looked around and froze.

It was just the same.

Nothing had changed.

His computers were still pushed against the wall, his pictures pinned on the wall by his bunk. As his eyes opened wider, Tony leaned forward and opened the locker. All his clothes were inside, he recognized his oversized shirts and - was that his Marlins shirt?

He walked around the room and touched everything as he moved. He stopped beside his computer and pulled off a photo that was stuck to the side. It showed him laughing with the captain. His captain, Captain Bridger. He was struck by a sudden tide of memories, and for a moment his emotions threatened to overwhelm him.

Tony walked over and took the photo from his hands. It felt like a million years since they had all been so carefree. He saw the look on Lucas' face.

"You okay, buddy?"

Lucas swallowed and nodded. At Tony's concerned look, he added, "Yeah. It's just..." he swallowed again, "why is all this here?"

Tony put his arm around his shoulders and steered him to sit on the bed.

"Your mom didn't want it. Jon said we should store it until we knew what to do with it. Didn't seem right to throw it away."

"Why is it in here?"

"Because it's back where it belongs. Just like you." He hugged his friend. "Dagwood's moved back to his old bed."

Tony and Dagwood sat either side of their friend and smiled at him.

"Welcome home, Luke."

 **The End.**


End file.
